Survivors Guilt: Loss in Victory
by WistfulSin
Summary: Navigating the strange complications of a deepening relationship, Hiei struggles to open himself up as he aids Shinpi in her relentless search for the demon responsible for a youki inhibitor endangering Makai. Their worlds get upended when the fight finds Shinpi, threatening to rip through the lives of those who hold her dearest. If you knew the price of victory, would you pay it?
1. The Beginning Again

_**A/N: No this is not a joke! I'm finally posting the sequel fic to Survivor's Guilt! To answer some questions from the ending of SG that I don't think I answered when they were asked: 1) Yes, this will be a full length fic. In fact if this goes according to plan there will actually be a third part as well. 2) I know there were several loose ends at the end of SG but I did that on purpose because I knew I'd be writing this story! Most of those things were intentionally left unresolved because I need them **_**now_. 3) I know some of you weren't super satisfied with the ending and I was asked if I was, and honestly, yeah. I was. I know it felt abrupt to some of you but life is full of abrupt tragedy. However, I think with this sequel those of you who weren't super stoked about the ending will probably begin to feel better._**

**_For a while. _**

**_I'm immensely excited to post this story, as I've been working on the first several chapters for a few months. I wanted to make sure I had an arsenal of stuff to post that way I don't fall behind again. In that vein this story will be updated the same days as Southern Charm: the 1st and the 15th of each month. _**

**_I've missed you all so much, and to any new readers this fic is a sequel to my completed work Survivor's Guilt. I'm excited for all of us to take this journey together. Love you babes. Don't get pranked too much this April Fool's Day!_**

**_EDIT 4/30/19: I forgot a whole ass scene my guys! I'm so sorry. It's been added. It's the second to last scene_**

* * *

"I want you both to know that this act is beneath me and that I would greatly prefer if you two would find a different method for communicating with one another." Hayato spoke with heavy annoyance, staring down at Hiei with dark eyes.

"You're the only one Shinpi trusts with the letters Hayato. They contain sensitive materials and they should only be couriered by someone reliable." Hiei didn't bother trying to hide his dark satisfaction, arms crossed over his chest. "You should feel privileged, _Hai_."

"Just take the damn letters Hiei. I have more important things to attend to." Hayato continued to extend the envelopes to the fire demon, his expression growing dull.

"Why? Do you not enjoy my company?" Hiei asked him, glib.

"Find a new messenger!" Hayato snapped, flicking the letters against Hiei's chest before turning around and allowing his wings to lift him from the ground. He continued to grumble under his breath and Hiei enjoyed knowing he had caused the outburst.

A lot of things had changed in the last two years but his needling Hayato at every turn had not been one of them. It had, however, grown more light hearted as time marched on. Hiei saw Hayato's merit, his loyalty to Shinpi. After some time he'd even come to trust the raven himself. Not that he would ever _ever_ admit to it. Shinpi knew, he was certain of that because she would sometimes give him a look and a little suppressed smile when he verbally trounced Hayato, like she saw a secret and was willing to keep it mostly because it entertained her. He liked to glare at her in moments like that not that it ever made any difference. She was long immune to his glowers.

Thinking of Shinpi reminded him that they had a date approaching and he needed to be there for it. If he wasn't there was every possibility that what waited for him would be a tempest of pain instead of a warm welcome. Shinpi expressed her disappointment with such matters in all manners of ways he disliked. Her annoyance still caused her to shut him out sometimes, something he knew she was attempting to work on, but it was her active frustration that he knew he could count on. If he missed their date she'd make him pay.

The last time he'd failed to make an appointment he'd promised to she'd offered to spar with him immediately and made quick work of pinning him to the ground by his throat, her eyes dark as she made her annoyance clear. "_Darling, you forgot me again. How disappointing that you won__'t keep your word."_

He shook off the memory with a shiver. He adored Shinpi's power, her ruthlessness at times but he couldn't deny that her wrath could make even him hesitate. That just meant he needed to be mindful of his time so he could get back to her soon. Soon, but not yet as work was work and it never ended. She understood his busy schedule at least. That's why she wrote to him.

Ever since he'd snarked at her about writing to Mukuro that one time while leaving him in the cold she'd made an effort to send him a letter a week when he was away. The details varied but none of the letters were anything he'd want getting into the hands of anyone other than himself. She'd update him on the team, on her comings and goings. He had made it clear she was to tell him about any and all missions she performed for Spirit World. He wanted a record.

Well, he actually wanted to mount Enma's head on a placard.

He'd settle for a record, it was the compromise they'd made.

Other times the letters were filled with details she'd uncovered from her research. In the nearly two years since Hiro's death they still hadn't come close to pinning down the demon who had orchestrated the murder of her family, nor the one who still organized the encampment's on the borders of the larger territories. That awful youki inhibitor was still out there, being produced, being spread.

A smaller land to the south had fallen completely to rebels who wielded that mist.

Hiei had so far been able to squash the uprisings that had started in Alaric. Shinpi worked between the three worlds trying to keep everyone necessary abreast of the information as she gathered it putting that diplomatic charm of hers to good use. But she always approached Hiei first. She liked to have him help her make sense of her thoughts, she told him. He was cynical, intelligent, his scrutiny helped pinpoint details she'd overlook, or he'd be able to dismiss ideas she'd fixate on for no reason. They made a good team.

Even still, those letters alone weren't what he sought to protect from prying eyes. No. It was the _other_ letters he refused to allow to be transported by anyone but Hayato. Political secrets were all well and good, but Shinpi's _personal_ letters…

Those were only meant for his eyes.

Now he had a month's worth of envelopes in his hands sealed with wax and an artfully designed wolf's head stamp. Hiei opened the first to skim over an update on the mundane details of life back in Human World where she had been thoroughly sequestered. Officially. The second offered ramblings about some journal she'd found she had thought was lost to time. There was a passage she wanted him to read about the creation of Sayol, the birth of Aishling. The third he paused to actually read. This one would live in his cloak for a while.

_My smoldering dragon,_

_You__'ve been gone away for too long. I miss you. I miss the heat of when our bodies join as we-_

"Must be riveting material to pull that look from you."

Hiei shoved the letter into his pocket as though he wasn't supposed to have it, shooting a bitter glare toward Mukuro who regarded him with unbridled humor. She glanced at his pocket, and the fist therein, before moving back to his face.

"Distractions will get you killed." She reminded him for the millionth time. "Are you going to ask to go back to her?"

"There's work to be done." Hiei responded coolly. Then with a malicious grin he asked in return, "Don't you have _another_ maintenance appointment for that arm of yours to get to?"

Mukuro raised her eyebrow, scanning him. "Try not to get so engrossed when you're out in the world, Hiei. Here in the castle you may be safe but there are those who would not hesitate to act if you gave them even the slightest of openings."

A moment of silence lapsed between them.

"Has she found what she's looking for?" His commanding officer asked, head tilted to the side. "It's been a few years now, hasn't it? She's normally more efficient."

"Her hands are tied." Hiei groused, thoroughly annoyed. "Shackled by those idiots in Spirit World. But no, she hasn't found the bastard yet."

"What do you imagine she'll do once she does?" Mukuro had never expressed any doubt in Shinpi's ability to uncover the truth. Hiei thought that was both strange and intriguing. The stalwart belief in his woman birthed confusing emotions in him, especially considering that it wasn't that long ago that Mukuro had admitted that there was a decisive rift between herself and the wolf demoness. He often wondered if Mukuro was still trying to goad him into understanding that if Shinpi lost herself like she had so many decades before he'd have to put her down. Yet, unlike when he'd first mentioned Shinpi to her, Mukuro seemed more invested these days. It was almost as though she were rooting for her old, war-torn friend.

He wondered about that too.

"Likely kill them." Hiei allowed, finding the details unimportant. This was just another step toward Shinpi's eventual closure, her recovery from her past. She would always mourn her family, always carry that with her, but he hoped that once they found the culprit behind these schemes she might at least stop blaming herself.

Hiro's dying words had set fire to Shinpi's soul giving her this quest for truth and revenge, but they had also cemented the idea that she was a cursed thing. She assumed these acts were her fault even though it was obvious they had begun before she'd even come to power. He couldn't understand her guilt. He couldn't condone it either.

It was a point of strife between them that each of them tried to avoid pointing out.

Mukuro nodded, a look of contemplation on her face. Hiei frowned.

"What if she can't?" She asked, a glint to her eye.

"There's nothing Shinpi can't do if I'm at her side." Hiei rebuffed the very idea of the woman failing. He was actually offended by it. "She'll find them, she'll kill them, we'll move on with our lives to whatever the next crisis will be."

Mukuro hummed thoughtfully, as though she doubted his assumption but she didn't speak on the matter. More of enigmatic nonsense. Instead she looked around the hall crossing her arms.

"There's word that a camp has started in the east. I need you to handle it." She told him. "See if you can't bring one of them back alive this time. It would be helpful if we actually managed to get some information on the goals of these pests so I'm requesting you take a smaller team. Keep it quiet."

Hiei nodded. He'd only been back for a day and half from his last patrol but he didn't bother arguing for the rest his body craved. If he wanted to make his meeting with Shinpi he needed to earn Mukuro's permission. Hayato had just happened to catch him at the right time between duties. The sound of a crow cawing caught Hiei's attention and he glanced to a window where the blackbird stood. It tipped its head, studying them, then it fluttered its wings.

Ah.

He'd let it slip from his mind that Hayato had a veritable army of spies at his disposal. No wonder he'd known exactly when to arrive.

"The faster you move the sooner you'll return." Mukuro spoke firmly, her demand clear as she turned around and headed back the way she'd come. Hiei glanced toward her before marching toward the barracks so he could choose his companions on this mission. A small team capable of quiet approach and capture?

He knew just the demon.

* * *

Runa offered Hiei a shining smile, her cropped blonde hair sunbleached beyond its natural color. Blue eyes took him in on his approach. As an officer of Mukuro, his direct underling and protege, she had her own small dwelling near the barracks. It was a special privilege to mark her position, one she had taken great pride in.

To Hiei's horror and dismay, she'd actually cried when he'd taken her to it for the first time.

Now, there were no tears just a friendly greeting. "To what do I owe the pleasure sir?"

"Sir seems a little formal." Hiei drawled, nodding toward Marcel by way of greeting. He turned back to Runa. "I need you to come with me. I'm only taking two others with us. We're taking on a camp and we need to try to pull a survivor free of the chaos."

"When do we leave?" Runa nodded immediately, rising from her seat.

"As soon as we can. Be ready to go at my call." Hiei glanced toward Marcel who glanced between them, frowning.

Runa had grown some in the last couple of years. She now stood taller than Hiei but shorter than her counterpart. Hiei had assumed, given Runa's near obsessive search for the man, that Marcel had been her lover. Instead it seemed they lived in platonic harmony, family more than anything else. They were extremely close, something he wouldn't try to deny, just not in the way he'd originally thought. Now Marcel looked over to him with concern etched into the furrow of his brow. The man was a strangely emotive demon in Hiei's opinion. He wore his heart on his sleeve and never bothered hiding when he was worried.

Hiei couldn't relate and quite frankly didn't want to bother trying.

"This is the third time in as many months." Marcel vocalized, turning to Hiei. "Is this problem escalating?"

"It's under control." Hiei narrowed his eyes, as he often did when Marcel quietly challenged him this way. "We have patrols in place for this reason. The fact we know where they are means the patrols are working."

Marcel didn't look convinced but he didn't speak out again. He turned to Runa. "I'll help you pack."

Runa flashed a look to Hiei, her own concern shining through but he immediately understood the underlying reason for it was different. There was something more on her mind. He knew she'd bring it up on their trip. She had that damn habit. It was Shinpi's fault. His woman had gotten her claws into his second-in-command and had managed to convince the girl that it was best to be open. That it fostered stronger connections. Reluctantly, Hiei admitted it had worked. He relied heavily on Runa but more than that he'd dare to call her an ally. He actually cared about what happened to her.

That didn't mean he wanted to suffer through her incredibly dull problems.

He turned and left to find the last two members of their party. If he had Runa at his side all he needed now was muscle. Runa had gotten faster and she was an expert with a bow. She could hold her own in close quarters combat but she wasn't actually that great of a fighter. She was better for gathering intel, sneaking around. She still looked soft enough that she could be mistaken for a civilian. Tactically, she was his best call when it came to anything that required infiltration or stealth. He'd still need grunts for when it came to taking their opposition down.

He and Runa would focus on picking out a prisoner to take. The other two would handle the rest of the camp. Destroy the reserves of the inhibitor if they came across it. Mukuro had only requested they bring one back alive.

That meant the rest had forfeited their lives the minute they'd stepped across the Alaric line.

* * *

Black hair, complete with thin plaits throughout garnished with silver and bronze braid rings to remind her of home, sat in a messy bun atop Shinpi's head as she bowed over a relic of a book so horribly aged that the spine had gone missing and the cover now stayed in place by the hard work of a few pieces of tape. It had taken several months of effort as a redhead but she had eventually learned how to shift seamlessly between her human and demon forms. It was a feet Kurama had helped her navigate though he couldn't do it himself. Their situations were incredibly similar but still vastly different. The physical body of Iruni Mikamoto, with her small frame and her mostly Japanese features, worked best for days like today when she needed to exist in the world unnoticed. Her demon body came to her when the time for blending in ended. There was no hiding her flaming red hair or her five-foot-eleven frame. The chime of the cafe door lifted her attention just barely. Only enough for her to scan her cobalt eyes over the newcomer. When she saw who it was she went back to reading.

"Cafe au lait please." Koenma ordered casually before swiftly claiming the chair across from her. Today he wore plain jeans and a plainer white tee. His forehead mark hid underneath a white headband tied at the back of his head. It reminded her of her fire demon, a world away. A job of loneliness threated to strike her but she shut herself off to it. Over his clothes Koenma had donned a plum pea-coat, which she thought was very royal of him. For the most part he looked normal, his brown hair styled. He'd have passed the test if it weren't for the bulbous pacifier permanently caught between his teeth.

Shinpi wondered if his jaw ever grew sore from the constant clenching and sucking he had to do to keep the object in place. Surely there were other ways to charge the Mafuuken. She chose not to vocalize her wandering thoughts as her eyes scanned the page she had been reading.

"Nice outfit." She told him, not looking up again. "You almost look like a real boy."

"Is there a particular reason you're being surly today?"

"You called a meeting last minute. You know how I feel about you disregarding the fact I have an actual life to lead."

"You missed your last check-in."

"I sent in a report."

Koenma sighed heavily, accepting the cup extended to him by the waitress. He waited for the woman to leave before speaking again. "You have to make your check-ins. You made a deal, Shinpi, you have to adhere to it."

She closed the book, then her eyes for a moment as she raised her face. When her gaze settled on him with bore a cold weight.

"And when will your father uphold his side of this arrangement? When will he explain to me why I'm alive?" She demanded in calm, cool words. "It has been nearly two years since I got my body back and still I have nothing from him. I have done everything asked of me."

"I know you have." Koenma told her softly. "I'm not the enemy here."

Shinpi inhaled through her nose and released the breath slowly. Finally she too softened, though her frustration remained. "I know. I know."

"It's frustrating. I've been trying to find out what he's planning but whatever it is, he's keeping it to himself." Koenma explained frowning. "I'm on your side in this, Shinpi, believe me, but if you want to win you have to play his game."

She thrummed her fingers over the weathered cover of the book, her lips pursed as she sank into thought. Then she pinched her eyes closed with another headache threatening to bloom from behind her eyes. One a day this week. She rubbed her face.

"You look tired." He commented carefully.

"Don't you know better than to say that to a woman?" She demanded but there was no edge to her voice. "I am tired. I feel like I haven't slept in weeks. I tried to lay down last night and I suddenly remembered something from sixty years ago and I had to see if I had the journal to corroborate it. Then I didn't find the journal so I had to try to sort out if what I was remembering actually happened or if it was something I was making up."

"You need sleep." He pieced together.

"Sleep is elusive this time of year."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"I've accepted your request. Hopefully that will help." He announced and she smiled gently, nodding.

"Thank you." She meant it. "I can make it through the next few weeks a little easier knowing that."

"Have you reached out to the others?" He pried casually. "They could help you."

"I don't want to bother them. Mr. and Mrs. Urameshi are still in their honeymoon phase and I don't want to disturb that. I want them to enjoy it for as long as possible. I remember that feeling of being so in love and just wanting to live in the moment forever. And Kurama has been swamped with work. I called him last week to see if he had time to come over for dinner but he was pulling overtime and has his own life to manage. I don't want to eat up his one day off. Kazuma has been bogged down with his studies and his internship. That's important work and he needs to dedicate himself to it. Hiei has his own job he has to do. I wouldn't call him back even if I could." Shinpi explained trying to keep her smile from wavering. "Everyone has busy lives and I can't interrupt them for no reason."

"What about Hayato?" Koenma pressed. "Surely he would drop everything to come to you."

"I have Hai working as my eyes in Demon World since your doting father won't allow me to cross over again. I need him there so I won't call him back unless I have to. It's fine, really. Between the research and work I kill time by fulfilling the tasks handed to me by you. I barely have time to realize I'm alone." Shinpi sat back in her chair, waving her hand through the air to brush away his concern. "I appreciate the thought, really, but I'm a big girl. I can handle myself."

"I'm certain you can. I have nothing else pressing on my schedule today. I know I'm no replacement for the others but I'll try my best if you'd like company today." He smiled at her, teeth showing around the blue pacifier. "I think it would do you good to do something other than pour over old books and make wild theories all day."

"Fine. Since you're being so insistent I'll cave. We'll make a date of it." She shook her head, resting her elbow on the table as she cupped her cheek while a new warm energy entered her gaze. "Hope you brought money though, I'm not cheap to please."

"Must be why you're still single." He mused rolling his eyes. "I can't imagine it's your personality keeping suiters at bay."

Shinpi laughed again, but there was a hidden meaning in it as she regarded the prince. Hiei and her had decided, just as their relationship had budded into existence, that they weren't going to tell anyone about it. It had begun as a joke, a prank to see how long it would take their friends to realize they were together. Except it had gone on far longer than either of them had guessed it would. Kurama had uncovered the truth about three months after they'd come back from Sayol. It had been an accident. She had been exhausted one day and Kurama had been there at her side as usual in those moments. When he'd asked about how living with Hiei was going she'd slipped up and told him that it was going well but she wished he'd come back and touch her again already because she was lonely. Kuwabara had stumbled upon the truth because he didn't know they'd be home and he'd come to drop off a treat Yukina had made. He'd caught her and Hiei kissing in the kitchen.

Yusuke still hadn't pieced it together. Koenma either.

It was immensely entertaining to her.

Though they couldn't be blamed. Hiei wasn't an overtly affectionate man, at least not in the presence of company. In fact he went out of his way to pretend they _weren__'t_ involved if they were out in the open. Anxiety about what might happen to them if an enemy discovered their relationship gripped her fire demon despite her assurances that they were both strong enough to handle any comers. He didn't want to risk it. She didn't argue with him about it much, because she understood especially given his status, but sometimes she wanted to hold his hand or pay with his hair and knowing he'd rebuff her was hard to handle.

At least she knew that once they were alone he would let her do whatever she wanted within reason.

"Could be." She allowed in response to Koenma's jibe. "I'll find a warm body someday, I'm sure."

He snorted, entirely missing her joke. She loved this. It gave her new life.

"Alright Koenma, whisk me away. Let's enjoy a day together and pretend we aren't both under the thumb of a tyrannical god." She rose from her chair. "Which is personally bothersome to me because quite frankly, neither of you are the gods I was raised to consider."

"I thought you didn't believe in the old gods."

"I don't necessarily. But if I did you wouldn't have been one of them."

"Noted. Shall we? Where should we go first?" Koenma followed her out of the cafe into the cold air.

Shinpi pulled her coat tightly around her to ward against the bluster of wind that cut around them. With a narrowing of her eyes the air currents diverted, allowing her to loosen her posture. Still she slipped on her gloves and pulled a warm knit hat down over her ears. Keiko had handmade it for her the previous winter and it was one of her favorite accessories. She had left Hiei's scarf at the house, something she desperately regretted at the moment. It held it's own particular warmth, as though it channeled it's owner through the fibers. Plus it was made of some material she had yet to determine the origin of, but the cold could not penetrate it. She wanted a jacket made of the same cloth because these bitter winters were going to be the death of her.

Koenma snickered and she shot him a dirty look.

"What?" She demanded.

"It's just, it's hard to remember what you're capable of when you're bundled up like that." He admitted, attempting to hide his devious grin by turning his head so he looked at her side-long. "You don't look very menacing or cool for that matter."

She sank into the collar of her jacket to hide from the chill. "You don't look very cool either."

He fretted for a second, demanding to know what about him didn't seem impressive and she wallowed in the moment with her own snigger. He was too easy to pick on. And he was right, he wasn't the other members of the team but that didn't make him less enjoyable to be around. The fact was that they just didn't spend much time together for a variety of reasons. Even this act of benevolence on his part came with risks. They needed to play it professional lest someone from Spirit World suspect that he was conspiring with her. She needed Koenma in his post so he could filter information down to her and vice versa. He took her word to heart. Someone like Matsuma wouldn't.

They worked well together and she had grown to appreciate him.

Telling him that might make his head swell so she didn't, but she did shoulder check him and nod in the direction she wanted to go with a smile.

* * *

The front door blew open allowing flurries of snow to enter the hallway in a rush of cold air before Kurama could turn and push the door closed. The wind battered at the wood, shaking it in the frame. He shook white flakes from his lively red hair, then from his shoulders. Stripping off his scarf and his jacket he hung both on one of the many pegs Shinpi had finally installed in her entryway. Her home had changed dramatically since he'd first met her. Now photographs of their group and her human mother lined the walls. He knew that in the living room hung tapestries and painted portraits of her family in Sayol, stolen from the castle after she defeated Hiro. And centered on a wall all to itself was the picture he'd given her of Kin Jiro, her late son, in an ornate frame she had custom made. The entryway had been reformatted to allow for several visitors at once. They were changes that had been gradual but he was glad to see them. Toeing his shoes off he slid on a pair slippers that were just his size. With rosy cheeks and a wind-chapped nose he turned to be greeted by Shinpi standing in the kitchen entrance, a surprised smile on her face.

She was ready to relax, he noted, her feet bare against her floor. Her hair was thrown up and away from her face, held out of the way but a large clip. An oversized t-shirt that looked remarkably like a Kuwabara hand-me-down dwarfed her small frame. He knew she was wearing shorts underneath because she often did even though he couldn't see them for the length of the shirt. Her outfit told him she'd expected to spend this evening alone.

"Is it too late for that dinner?" He asked with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I never got back to you. Life has been hectic."

"Did Koenma talk to you?" She asked, studying him with subdued suspicion.

"No. Why? Does he have news?" Kurama's smile faded into a frown, concern flaring through him for a moment.

Kurama acted as Shinpi's emergency contact and there were times when Koenma contacted him on her behalf in case she had to leave immediately for a mission. She would be handed her orders and either she or the godling would inform him so Kurama would know where to find her if she went missing. Or if she needed help. It also gave him an idea of when to be at her home waiting with a first aid kit to patch her up if the occasion called for it. He did his best to be there for her as often as he could.

"It's unimportant. I was just curious. We spent the day together and it was surprisingly enjoyable." Shinpi stepped out of the way so he could hurry himself into the kitchen, a smile stealing over her face once more to put him at ease. "Tea is on the stove. Help yourself."

He did just that, already in the process of searching for a cup when she'd given him permission. He poured himself a healthy serving of the hot liquid and cradled the mug in his palms, warming his fingers on the ceramic for a moment before sipping. Finally he turned around and pressed his back into the counter beside the stove.

"You look tired." He commented lightly, precise gaze scanning over her to make all sort of assessments. None of her bluster or masks could hide the fact she hadn't slept. It showed under her eyes, in her waning posture. She'd pulled some skin from her lip which he knew meant she'd been worrying over something.

"All the men I know are animals raised with no sense of tact." She complained mildly, rolling her eyes. When his thin red brows rose in question she explained. "Koenma said the same to me earlier."

"I hadn't realized you two had planned to meet." He frowned again. "You didn't mention it on the phone last we spoke."

"It wasn't exactly planned. He called the appointment two days ago. I didn't want to bother you about it knowing how busy you've been." She shrugged. "I missed my last check-in because I was busy. I sent a report instead but I have since learned that is not good enough."

"Busy?" Kurama smiled knowingly.

"I am busy." She warned him, relenting quickly with a shrug. "Fine. I just didn't want to go. It's growing tiresome being Spirit World's pet and I wanted to dig in my heels a little."

"There it is." He nodded with a chuckle. "How is work going?"

"Well enough. I've written three articles. I've sent in my thoughts on the newest beta I've played. It needs work. One of the levels is impossible. Who would have guessed that after all that schooling I would turn out to be a professional beta-tester."

"You do have a knack for pointing out the flaws in things."

Shinpi pointed a finger at him in warning before grabbing her own cup of tea from the counter. She stood beside Kurama and just closed her eyes for a moment enjoying the presence of someone else in her house. The last three months had been more lonesome than usual. It was hard the previous year too. This was around when her and Hiei had finally chosen to be together and the quick descent into chaos that followed had burrowed in her bones, rising during these months as a constant nagging sense of impending doom.

"I'm glad you're here." She spoke up, deciding it was important for him to know what she was thinking. She leaned her head against Kurama's arm. "It means a lot to me that you take time out of your life to visit."

"Of course." Kurama smiled gently. "Have you heard from Hiei?"

"No." Righting herself, she caught her bottom lip with her teeth before releasing it quickly, Hiei's constant chiding sounding in her brain despite his absence. "But I do know he made it back to Mukuro's recently. Hai was able to deliver my letters to him. So, at least I know he is alive and safe."

Kurama nodded, quiet. He sipped his tea and said nothing for a long moment.

"Don't." She warned him.

"I didn't say anything." He looked at her sidelong. Shaking his head he stopped with the facade of being impassive on this subject. "I don't understand why you won't ask him to come back. If he knew how lonely you get he would surely try to fix it."

"He has to do his job." Shinpi argued for the millionth time. "I cannot call him back every time I miss him. He'd never be able to leave. Besides, I write to him to tell him his absence leaves a hole in my life. He knows. It's not like I'm keeping it a secret."

"You tell him you miss him but you don't ask him to come home. I miss you is not the same as _I__'m lonely_."

"His work is important."

"So are you."

Silence lapsed between them as they stared at each other. Shinpi deflated, looking all the more tired for the conversation.

"Well, at least I have you." She told him, offering a wan smile that touched her shadowed eyes. Reaching over she gripped one of his hands for a moment before releasing it. "I haven't started on dinner yet, what would you like?"

He tossed his head side to side, setting his tea on the counter beside him. Moving to the fridge he pried it open hinging forward at the hips to make sense of the sparse contents. Veridian eyes shot her a look and she shrugged, unable to defend herself. She barely had anything worth cooking a meal out of. Kurama closed the door and pursed his lips in thought.

"We can go shopping tomorrow." He decided. "For tonight why don't we order in? We'll make a night out of delivery and a terrible movie."

Shinpi laughed, a bright sound that radiated from her stomach and sparkled in her cobalt eyes. This would be the second date she'd had today. Kurama's subtle demand for her to get groceries didn't elude her. He fretted often about her taking care of herself when she grew a little too fevered about her research. A girl faints once from hunger and she never lives it down. "I take it you're spending the night?"

"Naturally."

Rolling her eyes at his assumptive tone, Shinpi pulled a few menus from the narrow drawer between the oven her refrigerator. This had become a comfortable practice between them. In fact, Kurama seemed totally at home in her house now. He came and went as he pleased, often unannounced and she didn't mind at all. His presence eased her. It was quiet and warm.

"Mind sleeping next to me?" She requested, handing him the menus to look over. "I think it would help. I won't sleep through the night but I'm sure I'll at least get a few extra hours with you at my side."

He just smiled at her softly and nodded.

This was also routine for them. When Kurama spent the night, more often than not he slept in her bed. This wasn't something she hid from Hiei, in fact he condoned it. He knew better than most that she rested more soundly with someone to hold at night and he trusted Kurama to keep her safe.

Plus, the alternative would be Kurama sleeping on the couch which didn't seem very friendly to Shinpi. Hiei's need for space and privacy meant he kept his own room. Sometimes they slept together sometimes they didn't. It really depended on their moods and it had rarely been an issue. Shinpi didn't like punishing Hiei by cutting off physical contact. He had, after all, demanded she stop doing that exact thing. And Hiei endeavored to be the same. He slept alone when he needed quiet, when the days had been too hard and too loud and too full of interaction with others, but not when he was angry with her. Shinpi understood that. When he was away Hiei's room was strictly off limits to anyone else. Shinpi kept it locked most of the time to ensure no one messed with his things.

Kuwabara had once asked her if it bothered her that they didn't sleep in the same bed all the time when they lived together. It had come up because she had explained that the second bedroom wasn't a guest room, but that the fire demon had laid claim to it. He'd expressed how weird it would make him feel. Like his girlfriend was mad at him or something. She had told him then _"When I need him, Hiei is always there. And if I ask, he'll come to my side. Allowing him space is a small price to pay for that level of dedication."_

The wind screamed around the house, rousing Shinpi from her thoughts, and she frowned at the window behind her sink. Even from where she stood she could feel the cold seeping through the glass. Kurama finished placing their order and hung up the phone, his eyes also moving to the frigid darkness that lay behind the walls.

"Some storm." She commented, annoyed. When would winter end already? This weather was ridiculous. "Are you sure you'll be able to make it to work tomorrow?"

"I'm not going to work tomorrow." He told her easily, coming to stand just behind her. "I've taken a few days as vacation time. Last week was rather brutal and I could use the relaxation."

"You wouldn't rather be at your apartment?" Shinpi pried shamelessly.

"Why would I go home to an empty apartment when I can be here with you?"

"You've only just gotten your own space, why not go enjoy it?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Kurama teased her, knowing better. "At some point you should stop worrying so much about the rest of us and start asking us to worry about you. If you don't reach out we won't always know when you need us, Hichi."

The look she offered him was one of pained agreement. She knew this was a flaw of hers. She didn't like reaching out to them when she felt weak or alone. Well. She tried, but she never wanted to tell them that was why she wanted to see any of them. Instead she called and asked them out to dinner or lunch or to a movie or to walk around. She would invite them over. When they told her they were busy that was the end of it. Pressing any further, mentioning she felt emotionally vulnerable, that she felt isolated sometimes, it all felt like an unnecessary guilt trip. She had spent considerable time alone in her life.

This craving was a symptom of having a group of friends once again. It was new, and old, but different than it had ever been. It had been a long, harrowing lifetime and so much of it was speckled with loss and stretches of solitude that she often forget that she had other options.

"I'll work on it." She promised Kurama, raking her fingers through her bangs. "It's just hard when I don't want to put myself above any of your lives. You're all so busy. Who am I to intrude?"

"If any one of us called you in the middle of the day or night asking you to come over because we couldn't stand being alone, what would you do?" Kurama crossed his arms, eyebrows poised in demand for an answer as he waited for her to speak.

"I'd go to you." She responded easily. "Without question."

"Expect the same from us. But if you don't _tell_ _us_ we can't make that choice." He chastened her. "Offering half-truths and guarded sentiments is behind us now."

"A hard habit to break." Shinpi admitted, rubbing the back of her neck while smiling. "Thank you, again, for coming here. Now. Enough scolding me for being inept at asking for help. Tell me about your week. How is your mother?"

That was the ticket to switch the conversation, as it quickly diverted the fox's attention to something else he deeply cared about. They chatted in the kitchen, moving to the larger table Shinpi had bought to replace the small three seater she had before. Now she could easily fit six people at a time before adding the center leaf. It made her kitchen considerably smaller but that was more than fair trade for the warmth the piece of furniture brought her. Every time she sat at the table she was reminded that she had to upgrade because her home had a revolving door policy for her friends.

Kurama relayed as much about how well his mother was doing, how well his step-brother was doing, and how irksome work had become as possible before their food arrived. The wait emptied nearly a full pot of tea between the two of them.

"So, before we start this assuredly awful film," it was customary to watch the worst graded films on nights like this one, "tell me about this day you had with Koenma. It's unusual for you two to bond."

"He said something similar." Shinpi offered a snicker. "Well, I think he felt bad for me. He decided to spend the afternoon hanging out with me when I told him how busy everyone was and that I didn't want to bother any of you. Honestly, and I'll kill you if you tell him this, he wasn't bad company. It helps that I made him pay for everything."

Kurama laughed at that. "You would."

"And I did." She nodded. "It was nice. We had coffee, we went to see that new installation at the museum I've been hungry to visit. We even had a small lunch before Botan popped in and reminded him he had work to do. It was a pleasurable change of pace."

"You said the afternoon. Have you been working ever since?" Kurama spied the book she had left on the counter, the missing spine a familiar sight to him. She'd been trying to make sense of some of the passages for the better part of two weeks.

"Of course. What sort of question is that?" She snorted, rolling her eyes. "What else would I do?"

"Well you could, and this is just a thought from the top of my head, truly from nowhere, you could try spending a little time on yourself for once. When was the last time you did something just for you?" Kurama questioned mercilessly.

Shinpi blinked, pulling back in her chair as she stiffened in thought. Her eyes rolled to the ceiling, pinching partially closed. Something just for her? She was having a hard time recalling, actually. If she wasn't researching, she was working on her gaming articles or testing new games, and between those two things were her missions from Spirit World. She worked as their pet bounty hunter, more or less, and sought out the stray demons causing trouble in Human World. She investigated for them. She even, sometimes, worked with the SDF to find the best methods for handling larger incidences.

But time for herself?

She didn't even know what she'd do with it. What did people do for themselves?

Kurama seemed to sense her conclusion because he sighed, tutting at her. "Honestly Hichi, sometimes I feel I need to put you on restriction and take away your novels and notes and force you to take a vacation."

"I would very much so enjoy you trying." She flashed her teeth in a wolfish grin. "Actually, please do. It would give me great pleasure to win that particular battle."

"Win?" Kurama asked with a snort. "That's presumptive."

"Sword beats plants, Kurama, that's just a fact."

"Hardly. Even to this day Hiei doesn't want to cross me. I am quite ruthless when I want to be."

"You have restraint." She tipped her head toward him with a wink. "And we both know I show none when it comes to winning a petty argument. Not to mention I'm not scared of letting you hurt me if it ultimately gets me my way."

"That's true." He agreed, bobbing his head. "Still, think about taking time off. That's all I'm asking. As someone who cares about you, it would mean something to me to see you take care of yourself."

Waving her hand through the air she dispelled his concern. "Relax. I'm fine. Besides, I have that week off coming up."

"Koenma granted it?" Leaf green eyes widened slightly. "I thought for sure someone above him would find a reason to deny you."

"Apparently not. And the time away will be very much so enjoyed." She winked again, though this time her grin was more impish than anything else. "Enough nagging. Let's go watch a terrible film about horribly done zombies and the havoc they wreak on the world."

* * *

The next night snow blitzed the house, filling the window panes from the outside and the cold fogged up the windows. Kurama sat on the couch, Shinpi laying back against his chest between his open legs as they watched the news.

"Snowed in. How annoying." Kurama commented in a cool tone.

"You said you wanted a break from work." Shinpi reminded him, craning her head back so she could look at his face. "You asked for this. Don't complain when your wishes are granted, Kurama."

"You're just glad you don't have to go out in the cold." He accused blandly. "We should have gone shopping yesterday like I said. Now we'll be scrounging for food and rationing leftovers."

A soft laugh escaped her, her weight sagging against him as she went back to watching the screen. An adjustment of her shoulders had her snuggling closer to him. With a tug she yanked the soft pale blanket from the back of the couch and used it to coat their legs.

"You're stuck with me." She declared, unabashedly amused. "We'll make do. I'm sure they'll clear the roads and sidewalks soon."

"I feel as though you could help on that front." Kurama shifted behind her to make himself comfortable. "Rain and snow aren't so different. Isn't there a way you could just push the storm out?"

"Kurama." She sat up, turning to look at him with judgment. "Are you suggesting I bend the laws of nature to my will?"

"No. I'm asking you to bend them to mine."

She laughed again, tossing him a comfortable smile. Kurama traced the expression, noted the ease with which it was brought into being, and he committed it all to memory. The last two years had been strange for them all. He had been promoted at his step-father's company. Yusuke and Keiko had gotten married. Kuwabara had been excepted into graduate school. And of course, Shinpi and Hiei were together.

Shinpi swept her eyes over Kurama, picking out something new about him. The slightest change in the way he looked at her. A little tightness around his eyes, the smallest tension in his jaw. It was as if he were holding back on saying something to her.

"What?" She pried with open curiosity, tilting her head to the side.

He blinked, eyes widening for a moment, his lips parting. Then it all fell away and he smiled at her. Something about the change seemed off to her but she couldn't place why.

"I was just thinking about how different everything is compared to when we met." He explained.

"When we were children or when I conned all of you into giving me exactly what I wanted?" Her sly smile spoke of her undeniable satisfaction with the outcome of that particular gamble. She made a note to remember that the look in his eye had been sentimentality. She rarely got to see it on him. In fact, she wasn't sure had ever had the privilege before.

"That one." He gestured to her. "Who would have known the cool, calculating woman who walked into our lives would turn out to be one of our dearest friends? It certainly caught me off guard."

"I will add that to my resume under accomplishments: I managed to catch Kurama off guard." Shinpi teased him. "I'll get any job I want with that one. Mind if I use you as a reference?"

He laughed along with her. This was one of his favorite things to do, be alone with Shinpi and just relax. She held no expectations of him other than wanting him to exist in her proximity, preferably touching her in some way. Even that was negotiable. There were times when he came to her home just to be in her orbit but still separate. He liked to read books near her or watch movies and shows. She had a welcoming energy about her that had steadily grown stronger. It was comforting.

He understood why Hiei kept her so close.

That reminded him. "You mentioned your leave had been approved. Do you need any help arranging things?"

"Actually, yes." She accepted readily. "I want to set everything up ahead of time so that when the moment comes, it can just be. You know?"

"Just tell me what you need from me." Kurama nodded and listening intently as she listed off the ways he could her accomplish this task of hers.

* * *

Runa and Hiei lead the way towards the encampment staying as far back as possible until they got a better sense of what they were facing. As they quietly picked their way toward their destination Runa spoke in hushed tones, walking through the dark belly of the forest on the roots of trees that shook angrily at the intrusion. Heavy green leaves blocked most of the light from above them, menacing in their size. Hiei had a stray moment of thinking that these trees, though daunting, had nothing on the walking behemoths of Shinpi's homeland. At least these ones stayed put once planted.

"I just think maybe Marcel doesn't completely understand why I keep working for Mukuro when I could have left." Runa explained, obviously frustrated with the situation. "He keeps telling me we can move on but I don't want to. I enjoy supporting you and Mukuro. Do you think it's because he's worried about me? Or that he's just antsy to change towns? He has been a nomad most of his life. Maybe being stationary just isn't for him."

Hiei suppressed a groan. He enjoyed Runa, he really did, but sometimes the sound of her voice worked this particular nerve in his shoulder and it tensed his entire body up. Particularly whenever she started asking him to project theories about Marcel's or anyone else's behavior. Shinpi was the one with insight when it came to guessing at motives. She understood these personal matters better than he did. He wasn't a fool. There were nuances that even he could see, and yes it did seem to be that Marcel worried about Runa's safety.

But it wasn't Hiei's job to point that out and it shouldn't be asked of him. Dammit.

"I thought I was clear that this was a covert operation." Hiei told her curtly, keeping his own voice low. "You're going to alert them with your incessant rambling."

Runa glared at him, reminding him of another massive shift she had gone through over the last couple of years. She was now far more confident in herself. She didn't fear him the way she used to. Her blind obedience and hunger for his approval had faded into mutual respect. She still trained with him, still lost to him, still learned from him when he offered guidance but it wasn't some childlike desperation that fueled her now. It was genuine interest in her own development.

"You're being decidedly snappish." She accused.

"I just got back from the field and now I'm on yet another mission. Except this time, I have to be _careful_ and show _restraint _because I have to save one of these wretches for Mukuro." He glared right back at her, his hushed voice heated. "I just want to be done with this shit so I can sleep. Is that a problem?"

"No." Runa smiled then, giggling quietly to herself.

Hiei refused to ask what she was laughing about. He told himself he didn't care. After a few minutes he stopped walking and turned on her. "What the hell is so funny?"

"Nothing." She lied obviously which infuriated him.

"We don't have time for games Runa. If you can't take this seriously then I'll continue without you."

"You always get like this, y'know. Everyone sees it." She told him.

Hiei's eyebrows pulled down, his mouth screwing to the side in a scowl. "Like what?"

"Tired. Angry. When you're away from Amon-Shinpi for too long you start to become unbearable. Sometimes Mukuro says she sends you back just to avoid dealing with your bad attitude. How long has it been this time?" Runa pried with that same annoying smile.

Hiei marched over to her, grabbed her by her shirt front and yanked her down to his eye level.

"You need to remember that I'm your commanding officer and my personal life is none of your goddamn business, Runa. I'm not out here with you to peddle my woes. We're here for a reason. So shut up, pay attention, and don't make me regret bringing you with me or Marcel will get what you think he wants because you'll be done working for us."

Runa frowned at him, then nodded quietly. Hiei released her and started walking again. He just wanted to be done with this bullshit. He hadn't slept in days and it looked like he wouldn't get to anytime soon. Forget about going to Shinpi. He couldn't even get himself to a safe resting place. His body hurt. His head wasn't as clear as it should be. Nothing about this mission was worth the energy to him. Still, he followed his orders and he carried out the plan. The two grunts following behind them spoke amongst themselves and Hiei was glad that at least he had earned some reprieve through them. They weren't at his side offering stupid rumors or crying about their roommates.

"Wait." Runa grabbed his bicep and pulled him to a stop. She looked around, legs spreading out to lower herself slightly. "I smell something."

Her blue eyes shone and it made Hiei acutely aware of the fact she was right. When her eyes did that, they reminded him of Shinpi, and even he couldn't deny that the feeling in his bones was the wariness of missing her. How long had it been? He didn't like counting the days. That rarely stopped him doing exactly that though. It had been three months and three days since he'd last seen his woman. Twelve letters and surely a thirteenth was being drafted as he stood there. Shinpi's letters kept him company and even right then his fist circled around her newest love note, but they didn't actually combat the feeling of being alone without her. It was the strange, small things that hit him the hardest. The sheen of Runa's wolf eyes. The scent of an approaching storm. The sight of a freshly sharpened blade. Things he associated with Shinpi.

But if Shinpi, who was so strangely affectionate and open, wasn't lonely without him how could he dare to claim the emotion? Shinpi who was forced to spend so many weeks by herself and yet stayed strong. His wolf demoness missed him, he knew this, but it didn't impact her daily life so he vowed to not let it effect his. Besides, he couldn't go back to her if he died because he was distracted by his want of her.

Hiei heeded Runa's warning and he nodded to their two companions to stop. She might be annoying, but she wasn't bad at her job. When she was serious. The four of them grew still, each of them circling in place slightly to take stoke of their surroundings.

"We're close." She whispered to him, releasing his arm.

Reaching up to undo his bandana, Hiei closed his eyes. The Jagan came to life, violet iris projecting the soft glow of purple light. Performing remote viewing had always been the easiest of tasks and that was no different now. They were close. The group they hunted was numerous, larger than he'd expected. For a moment he considered turning back and getting reinforcements but that would take time. It would draw this ordeal out. Instead he made sense of their camp, noted the locations of some barrels he suspected contained the inhibitor. Lowering the bandana, he allowed his eyes to open to harsh slivers. Sneering he turned in the direction of their enemies.

"We only need one of them. Take the rest out. And destroy the entire camp. I want to walk through the ashes of these fools as their ideals burn down around them." He declared to a chorus of 'yes sir's. "Let's go."


	2. Homecoming

**A/N: Fun story, Tax Season got me so fucked up I forgot what day it was. This was almost late. In that vein, Southern Charm will definitely be out tomorrow but not tonight. Sorry guys. **

**Here we are again! Another chapter! Thank you guys for your support with the new beginning, I am eternally grateful. You're all amazing. Happy Tax Day to all of you, hope it didn't suck too bad. It was a bad one for me, but at least I have fanfiction to keep my spirits up. Also, in case any of you participate, I hope you're all hitting your goals for Camp Nano! Without further ado, here is Chapter 2, in which Hiei and Shinpi are reunited!**

* * *

Shinpi ignored the new food in her refrigerator, courtesy of Kurama's insistence that she needed to remember to eat and preferably more than once a day, as she passed through the kitchen to get to the half-bath across the hall. Above her head hidden in the ceiling sat a black duffel bag stocked with the clothes she used on her Spirit World designated missions. A demon-hair wig in case a strand of hair fell loose and someone used it track the source. Contacts to darken her blue eyes. Extra knives because one could never have too many weapons. Smoke bombs in small spheres, easy to throw and activate. Mace in other small combustive containers. When she worked for Spirit World the goal was always to do what needed to be done as quickly and efficiently as possible. She went through endless lengths to protect her identity. The last thing she wanted was to bring her work home with her. That's the reason she had wards in place all throughout the house to prevent outsiders from sensing her energy. She refused to endanger Hiei and the others by being careless.

Kurama's words tickled her brain. With that in mind, she amended her thoughts and tacked herself onto the list. She would not endanger _herself_ that way.

It struck her as odd that she hadn't put herself at the top of the list of people to keep safe. Just a few years ago it wo0uld have _just_ been her. Then she had to go and get involved with her wily pack of fools and look at the damage they'd done to her. All of the sudden she was she being chided into having to remember to put herself first sometimes. Awful. Sickening.

She smiled as warmth spread through her.

But today she was not crawling onto her washer to pull a bag from the ceiling so she could run off and do someone else's bidding. She was bending down to pound her fist against the center point of four tiles in the middle of the floor, pouring some of her energy into the motion. The section popped up in response and she slid her fingers under the lip, flipping the secret door open. Climbing down into the space, she stood in the dark for just a moment before flipping on the light switch.

Shelves upon shelves lined the walls, burdened with old books and trinkets. Anything of value to her or her history lived down here in this secret space. She'd had special controls installed to control the temperature and humidity. Kuwabara had remarked, once the addition had been complete and she'd shone it off to him, that she'd built herself a museum. It wasn't far from the truth. Though she suspected she had taken far more measures than any museum when it came to securing her artifacts. The walls and ceiling, including the entry panels, were lined with perlite so that fire would never threaten this place. The mechanism for unlocking the room only responded to three energies: hers, Hiei's and Kurama's. She'd only allowed the other two access as a precaution in case something happened to her. And there were two backups only in case one of them also fell. It wasn't a pleasant thought but it was necessary.

This collection had to survive even her. It was the history of her family, of her people, of her homeland. In that way it was haunted by the spirits of her forefathers and foremothers. Her fingers traced the spines of the journals and books until she found the empty spot. She slid her recent read into the space reserved for it, having found no answers in the handwritten words.

Her soul felt heavy today.

Instead of plucking another book from the shelves Shinpi moved to the small reading area she'd crafted for herself. This was a selfish space for her. No extra seats nothing that would give the idea she wanted company.

Hiei had his room where he could hide from the world.

She had this.

The plush armchair accepted her readily, molded to her and she closed her eyes as she curled up in it, drawing her feet onto the cushion and knees to her chest. Leaning her head against the gold and maroon large paisley printed fabric, Shinpi closed her eyes. Taking a nap with ghosts from her past was nothing new to her and right then it was the only company she had.

* * *

Exhaustion.

The kind that numbed the feet and the hands, made it seem like you weren't even alive anymore as you moved. It turned Hiei's bones to air and yet somehow, also to stone. He felt simultaneously empty and weighed down. His skin itched under the bandages winding up his right arm from fingers to shoulder, the bindings woven under his shirt to tie off around his chest. A wound he shouldn't have received. He had been sluggish, inattentive. As always when he made a stupid mistake, he refused to be coddled for it. Mukuro had offered to have him healed before he set out for Human World but he staunchly declined. The wound would remind him to pay closer attention, to keep himself in a more alert state no matter his circumstances.

At least, that's the argument he gave to his commander.

The reality was that he was depleted beyond measure and he should have stayed another day or two in Alaric to heal and recuperate. But the longer he stayed in the territory the more likely it was that something else would demand his attention. So he left and dealt with the torn skin, treating it as a mild nuisance. Three days spent on the mission had been enough. It cut the time line too close so he left Alaric as quickly as he could. His feet carried him, even as his body filled with static.

Around his neck lay two necklaces, each made of cords of leather. One his mother's tear stone the other the key to the front door of Shinpi's home. As he stumbled up the front step, he fished that second necklace from under his shirt but it proved futile. He leaned against the door frame for a minute, his eyes closing as sleep threatened to consume him. Without his prompting the door opened. He peeled his crimson eyes open to meet the cobalt gaze of Shinpi as she stared at him.

"You're home." She breathed the words, that keen gaze making quick work of his state. "You're exhausted."

"I need to sleep." He told her quietly.

He didn't want to sleep. He'd only just arrived. What he wanted was to have the energy to throw himself at her, to kiss her and hear her purr his name. If the world was less cruel he'd spend the next several hours just reminding himself that Shinpi existed and that she was his. They would hold each other and lay on the couch and simply be together doing nothing. Or doing everything. Sometimes one turned into the other.

But the world wasn't a kind place and so he pushed passed her into the entryway. He tripped over a pair of shoes that belonged to neither of them, then assessed the multiple coats hanging on the wall. Without emotion he turned to regard her. He didn't have the energy for this.

"Go." She urged him, glancing toward the stairs. "Rest, Hiei. There will be time for greetings later. We'll leave so you can sleep in peace."

He heard the voices of their allies in the living room. Their _friends_ as Shinpi insisted he call them. The sound made him snarl. These idiots were always around and while he normally couldn't care less, right now their existence in his home chaffed him. He just wanted quiet. And he wanted Shinpi to stay. He knew this biting exhaustion was causing his annoyance but that didn't make him any less bitter. Still, he worked to forget that they were in the other room intruding on his homecoming. He crept closer to Shinpi.

In a low voice only for her to hear, laced with all the things he'd felt for her over the last three months they'd been separated he promised everything while saying little. "When I wake up."

She nodded and her fingers cupped his hand, squeezing before she quickly pulled away. He made his way towards the stairs so he could collapse in his room unbothered.

"Hey, is that Hiei?" Yusuke questioned, sliding into the hall just as Hiei put his foot on the bottom step.

"No." Hiei growled at him without looking. "Hiei's dead."

Hiei heard Shinpi shush Yusuke and then explain to the others that they should take their afternoon elsewhere so he could rest. He listened to the voices all run together as they made plans. The front door closed and silence rushed in like water filling the hull of ship, desperate to pull it under the waves. And like a ship Hiei drowned in it, his body giving up as he made it into his room which stood just as he'd left it. He gave up his fight against the hungry maw of sleep and allowed himself to be drug down into it's depths.

* * *

"Hiei looked wrecked." Yusuke shoved his hands into his pockets. "That guy is running himself ragged."

Kurama's attention was on Shinpi as Yusuke spoke, going on about how _bad_ Hiei looked, how _old_ the bandages winding around his arm and under his shirt seemed, how _exhausted_ the fire demon had been. Practically swaying on his feet, Yusuke described. Utterly trounced. Kuwabara muttered some heartfelt concern. Shinpi remained quiet as they walked down the street to free the house of anyone's presence. Green eyes watched carefully as the woman stared ahead of them at his side, her jaw so tight the muscle stood out. She looked livid. Seeing Hiei in such a bad state obviously bothered her deeply, but she said nothing.

Kurama wished, as he had many times in the last few years, that she would speak up. Hiei needed to be made aware of how his self-care or lack there of effected his chosen partner. He needed to make better choices. This was a problem he'd always had, not realizing that other people cared about him. He'd grown so accustomed to dealing with everything alone and for himself he forgot to think about others. It was one of his greatest flaws. And Shinpi suffered for it. Kurama had seen it happen many times.

He reached over and touched her wrist with light fingers, enough to earn her attention without demanding anything from her. Shinpi glanced his way, saw his concern and forced her shoulders to relax. She responded to his touched by looping her arm around his and leaning into him.

"I'm sorry for worrying you." Shinpi told him quietly. "You're a good man Kurama. You must be exhausted dealing me."

"I'd be less exhausted if you'd confront some of your problems." Kurama allowed. "You're worried about him."

"I'll tell him." She assured her friend.

"What are you two talking about back there?" Yusuke looked over his shoulder at them, being far too loud as usual. When he saw the way they were walking, arm in arm so close together, he grinned with a glint in his eye. "You two going to kiss or something?"

"Obviously." Shinpi laughed at him.

Kurama said nothing in a pointed statement that seemed to be missed by everyone present.

* * *

It was dark when Hiei awoke. There was water on the nightstand by his bed. A small snack on a plate. He didn't know how long he'd slept but he knew he needed more as he sat up with groaning joints and aching muscles. Grabbing the water he drank the entire glass as quickly as it could comfortably flow down his throat. He ignored the food. His hunger was for something not of the physical plane. The house was dark as he left his room. He moved through the hall to the bathroom and stripped out of his clothes immediately, tossing them into the laundry basket. Incurring Shinpi's wrath because he yet again missed the hamper was not how he wanted this reunion to start. A warm shower left his body feeling quenched in some way he hadn't known he needed. Drying off his damp skin he stood in the steamy room for a few extra minutes to change his bandages. His arm looked passably healed but he wrapped it anyway. He'd bathed without light, not wanting to risk disturbing Shinpi.

The darkness in the house was softer than that of the rest of the world. It held a warmth to it he hadn't been able to replicate anywhere else. He couldn't give a reason as to why he felt that way about it and if anyone asked him to describe it his words would fall short. It just was.

Towel-dried and nude, he crawled into Shinpi's bed. Sliding under the blanket he shifted himself to hold her from behind. She made a contented sound but didn't stir and he relaxed into the moment.

Shinpi never complained about him sleeping in his own room. She understood his hunger for independence. He suspected that she was so amicable because of moments like this, where he wandered out of his solitude and into her arms. Sometimes he needed to be alone to recharge, to exist again, to tolerate the world around him. Other times he needed to meld against her, bury his face in her hair and inhale deeply, and this brought him back to life in a different way. His lids grew heavy once more and he didn't fight this sleep either.

Just as he balanced on the edge of unconsciousness, ready to throw himself into it, he heard her soft voice and it made him smile as some unknown weight freed him.

"Welcome home." She breathed the words in a drowsy voice that was more mumble than anything else.

He didn't respond in any way other than curling more completely against her. After another few breaths he was back in the darkness of his dreams and even that was warmer than it had been before he'd touched her.

The next time Hiei came to there was light spilling into the room from behind the curtains. Not early morning soft golden light but brighter nearly white midday light. The way it filtered in he guessed the sky was wide open which was good because he vaguely recalled there being snow on the ground when he'd arrived.

In rare form Shinpi was still in bed with him. He could tell she was awake too because she shifted as he moved. Turning to face him she offered a sleepy, warm smile that looked like the perfect match to her mussed, sleep-tangled hair. She never stayed in bed this late, not even when he slept beside her. For a moment he feared something had happened while he was away. Had she injured herself? Was she ill? A crease formed in his brow as he looked her over, the haze of well-earned rest slipping by the wayside. There were light purple semi-circles shadowing her blue eyes.

His fingers brushed her bangs away from her face then traced down the curve of her jaw. She continued to smile. Tipping her head forward she pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes. Hiei relaxed, allowing his hand to rest on the side of her neck for the moment. This small reprieve had done more to invigorate him than his last several attempts at sleep in Alaric. This is what he needed. Shinpi moved slightly and in the softest of motions she kissed the tip of his nose before pulling back to watch him.

"I'm happy to see you."

Hiei still didn't feel comfortable with this part. He liked that Shinpi often seemed to read his mind—she had the habit of hearing what he didn't say out loud—but it felt like he needed to respond and even after two years his tongue had difficulty forming the words '_I missed you_'. So instead he offered her a rare grin, one he saved for occasions like this to remind her that she had a part of him no one else was privy too.

"I told you I'd be here." He told her quietly, in no hurry to end this lazy moment. It was so rare for both of them to be able to sit still and relax together, to pretend the day wasn't marching on without them. Their lives were demanding and often unrelenting. So this, this right here, he would savor until it was taken from him.

She nodded and he knew the spell was breaking because she pulled his hand from her neck and brought his knuckles to her lips. That was it. The sign she was about to move and start her day.

Shinpi, he had learned through one strange experience after another, was an incredibly _soft_ person. Even when he'd delved into her memories, guided by her self-loathing, he had gotten a taste for the fact she cared deeply about those around her but memories were easily tainted. Her vision of herself was not accurate and he'd come to understand this too. She recalled herself as a monster. Cold. Dark. The thing to be feared and loathed. A mistake. A curse. But that wasn't the truth. It was her truth, or maybe it had seemed that way for so long she had forgotten it wasn't, but it wasn't _the_ truth. _The _truth, the one he'd come to know, was that Shinpi's core was warm and gentle and she craved the freedom to express that kindness without fear.

And to Hiei that kindness with its gentle caring warmth had been a foreign language. He couldn't speak it at first. He didn't even understand it, really. The way she touched him with delicate fingertips while she called him beautiful, it had shaken him to his core. It still shook him. He still didn't grasp it completely. But grasp it or not, he could speak the language a little better now. This was easier than trying to tell her that he missed her, or that he worried about her, or that he sometimes wished his absences weren't so long. This was unspoken and that was his favorite type of language.

So he pulled his hand free from her and pressed his lips to her mouth in place of his knuckles. Not a demanding kiss. Not the searching, imploring, hungry sort of kiss. Just a soft brush of his mouth against hers to let her know he could be gentle too.

"You're early." She commented lightly rising to sit but making no attempt to leave the bed.

"Only by a few days." Hiei mused following her lead. The blanket fell to their waists, spilling into their laps. She couldn't hide the way her eyes raked over him. His lips pulled to the side in a pleased expression.

He loved the way she looked at him.

No one had ever looked at him the way Shinpi did before. Even though he knew she was scanning him for signs of injury, taking count of his new scars or the faint pink lines of skin healing back together, she still had this spark in her eyes that meant she was also enjoying the view. He wished he could return the favor but she was wearing one of her sleep shirts. Though if he wanted he was sure he could slide his hands-

"Let me heal you." She demanded, chin raising to dare him to defy her.

"No." Hiei responded easily. "It'll heal on its own."

"The hell it will. Let me heal you Hiei. Stop being a stubborn fool." Shinpi shifted to her knees, looking ready to pounce. Her dark unkempt hair framed her face as she loomed over him despite the fact that in this body he had a slight bit of height on her.

"I said no." He tried to remain impassive about it. This wasn't actually an argument and they both knew it.

"I'm going to heal that arm one way or the other."

"I'd like to see you try."

Shinpi leaned over him, one hand coming to rest on the headboard to help her leverage herself into his personal space. Her voice grew low, husky, and it drew his attention to her mouth. "You'll see me succeed."

Those words sent a coil of fire through his lower stomach and into his blood and just as he reached out to grab her so he could drag her into his lap she dismounted the bed and danced away from him on the balls of her feet. Spinning around, her sleep shirt and hair both fanning out, she gave him a look of utter challenge. With a cheeky grin she set about preparing herself for the day while Hiei watched from the bed, content to let her think she had the upper hand. He'd gotten himself stuck with the most obstinate, ornery, vexing woman he'd ever met and he loved every goddamn second of it.

He also loved teaching her lessons, but that could come later.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she brushed her hair, catching his eye through the mirror.

Hiei weighed his answer carefully. "Better. The last month was longer than the rest. Just before I came here I had to take out another camp that had infiltrated Alaric's forest. We tried to take a prisoner but these fools are proving more adept than the others. They're getting smarter. The ones who didn't die ran without bothering to fight."

"They did that to you?" Darkening blue eyes glanced at his arm then up to his face. "I'll see them in pieces at your feet."

"It's been done." He assured her. "We razed the camp to the ground. There is nothing left of it. The handful of cretins who escaped weren't responsible for this."

She seethed quietly, but visibly, for a moment. Swallowing down her argument she closed her eyes. When they opened again they were clear and she was lighter. "I'm just glad you're back."

"Me too." The words slid off his lips without hesitation. "How long was I asleep?"

"Nearly two days."

Hiei exhaled sharply, annoyed with himself.

"I have something that might help." She offered, putting the brush down atop her dresser. When she turned, she leaned against the drawers and offered him a playful grin. "I got you a present."

"A present?" Hiei frowned.

Shit.

He had forgotten. Again. He'd shown up in time for their anniversary, but he had forgotten they were meant to do things for one another. What had she gotten him? What was he supposed to get her? What did you get a woman capable of turning the skies black with her fury but was also known to play games with the children of the block? Jewelry? Weapons? She'd already taken the head of her greatest enemy so he couldn't rely on that old trick.

"You look a little pale. It's nothing terrible, I promise." She teased him.

"What is it?" He asked cautiously.

"You'll like it." She promised.

"That does nothing to dispel my unease Shinpi."

"Good."

* * *

Shinpi licked her lips, staring at the wall with a scowl firmly in place. Hiei was upstairs doing something. Getting dressed? She wasn't really focused on his movements. Her thoughts were preoccupied with the image of his bandaged arm. Waking up with Hiei holding her was one of her favorite things in the world. But seeing him wounded filled her soul with heat in a different, less pleasant way. The idea that he faced such constant danger, on orders or willingly, wasn't the issue here. It was his job. She could take it up with Mukuro if she started to feel he was being treated unfairly, but he had signed up for this when he agreed to work for her.

No. The problem was that she couldn't be out there with him, watching his back. Honestly, she'd feel a little better if Mukuro went with him. Goddammit this was infuriating.

Everyday her agreement with Enma grew more and more burdensome. She should be out there with Hiei on the front line protecting him. Working with him. Piecing out this information so she could finally come to some conclusions that meant something. She had her suspicions and her theories but with this choke chain around her throat and her short leash she wasn't able to confirm anything. Enma said she'd come back for a reason. That it would eventually come to light but she had to work for it. She'd done nothing but work for it. Her lips pulled back over her teeth in a silent snarl. Working for others had never been something she excelled at.

Cutting ties with Spirit World would be the sweetest thing to happen to her in years. Oh gods, she hungered for that moment. True freedom. Then there would be no one stopping her from marching into Makai and slaughtering the entire, endless army of these youki inhibitor pushing cretins, climbing her way over their corpses to look their leader in the eyes to watch them fill with fear as she ended this. Let her see someone else to raise a hand against her fire demon after that.

The front door opened and Shinpi roused herself from her thoughts, slamming a neutrally happy expression into place to replace her previous scowl she turned to greet whoever it was that hadn't bothered knocking.

"What's that look about?" Hiei asked her, garnet gaze sliding over her.

"Did you just come in through the front?" She asked, blinking. "I thought you were upstairs."

He frowned at her. "I left a half-hour ago."

"I must've been distracted." She breathed, turning back to the now cold cup of coffee she'd been holding onto. "I can't believe I didn't notice."

"What has you in your head?" He slid into the chair across from her, brows pulled together. "Did something happen while I away? You didn't mention anything in your letters so I assumed everything was fine."

"Nothing happened. I've just been thinking a lot lately. I've been so busy that instead of getting to ruminate through the day it hits me all at once." She sighed, letting the pleasantly bland mask fall away.

"I didn't get you anything."

Shinpi blinked a few times, screwing up her face. "What?"

"I forgot that it was customary to get gifts for anniversaries. I didn't get you anything. I went out to try to find something but honestly, even after all this time you're still an enigma and I don't always know what you might want." He admitted frowning. "Tell me what to get you."

She frowned at him, and it deepened into a scowl. He visibly braced himself, studying her with a squint.

"Seriously Hiei? After two years you still don't know what to get me?" She sighed heavily, shaking her head.

The sound of him shifting in his seat brought her attention down on him like a laser sight. Then she relented and smiled, laughing.

"I'm just messing with you Hiei. I don't need a gift from you. I'm just glad you're finally home."

He glared at her. "That isn't funny. You know I don't like when you do that."

"I know darling but sometimes you make yourself a large target." She teased, her foot reached out to rub against his calf. Hiei glanced down to the table, one eyebrow raised then slowly the corner of his mouth began to tip up. "Have I mentioned how happy I am you're home?"

"You know, I don't think I believe you." Hiei leaned forward over the table, tongue sliding over his bottom lip as his attention turned just the best sort of dark as her foot trailed upward. He scooted himself closer to the table. "Why did you get me a gift if you don't want one?"

"You'll find a way to repay me." Shinpi assured him.

Hiei's eyes closed, head turning just slightly to the side as her toes grazed his inner thigh. When he opened them again, it was with a look that telling of the fracturing of his restraint. Just as his finger grazed her ankle to grab her she pulled away.

"You teasing me is getting a little tiresome." He warned her, unsteady breathing lighting his words.

"And what, exactly, are you going to do about that?" She asked, one eyebrow raised. Her chin rose slightly, the glint in her eyes dangerous.

Hiei breathed out slow before shoving himself away from the table. The chair legs scraped against the floor loudly. He stalked over to her side of the table.

"You better hope you didn't just scuff my floor." She told him, glancing to his face.

A hot hand touched the back of her neck, fingers trailing up into her hair. Shinpi fought back a smile. Unraveling Hiei was always worth the effort. He was a man who tried to keep himself under wraps but he had loose strings all over the place and all she had to do was tug. His fingers closed around some of her hair, using it to pull her head back.

"And if I did?" He asked her. "What, exactly, are you going to do about it?"

She swallowed, attention unable to leave his face. Her eyes kept dipping down to his mouth then jumping back up to his eyes. Those beautiful, dangerous, garnet colored irises nearly gone for the size of his swollen pupils. Her lips parted in a breath.

"Hiei." She spoke his name with a tinge of desperation.

"Yes, _princess_?" He bowed his head down, just close enough to almost kiss her. "Is there something I can do for you?"

She reached up and grabbed him by the head, yanking him into a kiss that was nothing like the one they'd shared that morning. Starved, she refused to let him go. Rising from her seat Shinpi moved her hands from his hair to his shoulders, turning him toward her as she leaned back against the table. Hiei growled, gripping her hips, yanking at her clothes.

Shinpi offered a surprised cry as he hoisted her onto the table, the sound swallowed by him deepening their kiss. Teeth dragging on her bottom lip he pulled back to look into her eyes. He didn't say anything, just looked at her, but that was enough to send her pulse racing. Deft fingers toyed with the button of her jeans, his grin a slow burning fire.

"Tell me you want me." He demanded quietly, but not softly. Not even close to softly.

"I want you more than revenge." She told him, focus erratic as he leaned over her. Everything about him broke her ability to think into shards. Her hands gripped his shoulders a little desperately. Sometimes she worried Hiei was a dream and she'd wake up alone, covered in blood at the bottom of that cavern she'd created and this life will have all been her brains final moments to ease her pain.

But Hiei was real. He bit her bottom lip, humming in satisfaction, pulling away when she went to kiss him. With a whine she tugged him closer, shifting under him to try to get as much of their bodies to touch as possible.

"Please Hiei, I need you." She whimpered against his mouth as he teased her with a nearly-kiss.

Those were the magic words apparently because he was on her without any further preamble. The last coherent thought Shinpi could form was thanking herself for buying such a sturdy table. Unlike a foldout card table, this one definitely wouldn't buckle underneath her. Or, at least, it hadn't yet.

And it had been tested several times.

…

Hiei stood in the kitchen with a smirk firmly in place as he watched Shinpi try to resettle herself. She didn't seem to know where to start, looking lost as she stood there leaning against the table in jeans she was lucky he hadn't destroyed trying to pull off of her. His satisfaction couldn't be hidden. Watching Shinpi try to recover from him was one of his guiltiest pleasures.

"Your shirt." He gestured to where the garment hung on a chair.

"Oh. Right." She blinked once and then grabbed the shirt, pulling it over her head in a slow motion.

He chuckled.

"Where is your shirt?" She asked him.

"You ruined it." He reminded her. "It stood no chance against you. Truly a one-sided battle."

"Oh that's right." Shinpi nodded. After another second she ran her fingers through her bangs then rubbed her palms down her clothes. Inhaling slowly and exhaling slower, she seemed to regain some of her sense. After that she shook off the haze and then shot him a look. "I swear you do that one purpose."

"I do."

"Bastard."

"That's accurate."

She glanced over him. "Going to elaborate on that tidbit?"

Hiei seemed to realize that he'd given something away, his good humor slipping just a bit. "Maybe later."

Later never came when he said that ao she let it go. Pushing him had never worked and she didn't think that had suddenly changed so she didn't try. Instead she offered him the reprieve of moving on to a different topic.

"We're going on a vacation." She told him.

His eyes widened and she saw him panic. Whatever he was imagining, it probably involved loud, crowded places and bright, constant light where he had to do things he didn't want to do for the sake of experiences he would never actually enjoy or care about. He grew stiff, nostrils flaring as he decided to fight her. It was so easy to read him sometimes and impossible at others. At least she knew she could put him at ease.

"Alone." She explained. "Completely alone. We're going camping in the mountains. I've found the perfect little cabin. Both Mukuro and Koenma know not to contact us. We won't even be taking our communicators. There's no electricity, no television or radio. The closest neighbor is three miles away, I measured myself."

"How does Mukuro know?" Hiei questioned with genuine surprise.

"Because I told her." Shinpi offered back. "I wrote to her about a month ago. I'll admit she hesitated to accept it at first but I am quite convincing."

"And how did you manage to convince her to pretend I didn't exist for a week?" He crept closer to her, intrigued.

She just offered a smile in return. "I told her that if she gave us this, you'd return with a clear head. That's all. She told me I was a distraction that you didn't need. I told her that if she wanted you to be focused then you needed your fix."

"And that worked?" Hiei didn't seem convinced.

"I think she only put up a fight because she felt she had to." Shinpi shrugged. "That woman is a menace."

"Funny, I've heard her use those exact words to describe you. I must attract menacing women into my life." Hiei crossed his arms over his chest. "So, when does this vacation start?"

Shinpi glanced at the clock she kept on the wall above the table. "Officially? Tomorrow morning. But we can leave whenever we want."

"And it'll be just us? No Kurama?" He checked. "No one else? This isn't a trick to get me into a mission?"

"No tricks darling. I thought that after working so hard what you'd want most was a break, and honestly, that's what I want too. I figured a nice retreat where we would unreachable would sate us both for a while. Plus, there are hot springs nearby and you know I can't resist a nice hot spring." Shinpi cupped his cheek then kissed him so gently it felt like a feather gliding over his mouth. "Is this alright?"

"Yes." He rubbed his hands from her shoulders down her back, holding her waist just as an excuse to keep himself close to her.

"Good because I've already packed."

Hiei rolled his yes. "What gear do we need for camping?

"I'm not sleeping in a tree, Hiei." She deadpanned.

"Your loss."


	3. Vacation

**A****'N: Sorry for the late post guys. This week took a heavy toll on me and it was too full for me to finish writing this chapter in a timely manner. I hope it is worth the wait. My brain is still a little bit made of pudding so, forgive any mistakes. I'll have to come back and comb through again later. **

**Also! I forgot a scene in Chapter 1, like a careless fool, so I went back and updated the chapter if anyone wants to read it. It****'s not super long. **

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Shinpi and Hiei hiked up the mountain, Shinpi in tall snow boots and two pairs of socks on to protect her feet from the harsh cold of the heavy snow. Hiei carried her bag for her, having no issue trudging his way toward their destination. He glanced at Shinpi and didn't bother hiding his grin at her expense. She wore a bomber hat that fastened under her chin, her balaclava to protect her face, and his white scarf as a hood and wrap. Her jacket was merely the waterproof outer shell to protect her thick wool sweater, and her two undershirts, from the bite of the air. She wore snow pants that made the most amusing sound over her jeans and long johns. He would be dying of a heat stroke if it were him in all that clothing, but she still managed to shiver. Not even to the first time he thought that her response to the cold was proof of some maladaptive abnormality in her bloodline. What sort of wolf couldn't stand a little snow?

Hiei took the mountain on with merely his usual boots and his cloak over his shirt, a second scarf wound around his head and neck, only because the bitter wind cut like knives and even he could feel it. Other than that the cold didn't bother him. Maybe that's because the snow turned to slush under his feet. If he had to complain about anything it was that his boots were growing wet and he didn't like the way that felt on his toes.

"Why did you plan a trip in winter if you hate the cold so much?" He asked his partner, who responded at first with a glare, her eyelashes carrying small bits of ice.

"Because it's our anniversary and I wanted to celebrate with something we could both enjoy." She told him after several moments, the words clouding the air with her breath.

"Your teeth are chattering."

They finally crested the hill they'd been climbing and were rewarded with the presence of a small wooden cabin, it's windows shuttered closed and no sign of disruption anywhere around it. Their footprints were the first to cut through the snow for the season and that made being there all the sweeter. She was right, as usual, they were well and truly alone.

This was the best gift anyone had ever given him.

"I can't feel my toes." Shinpi admitted once they were inside, immediately moving to start the wood stove to warm the space. "But that's not the point of being here. I just wanted to be with you, actually with you, not just close to each other but really together out here. No one to hide from. No concern that someone will see us and try to use one of us against the other. When else will we just exist this way?"

Still amused by the fact her words came through her shivering form and chattering teeth, Hiei walked over and wrapped his arms around Shinpi. His hands slid under her jacket and sweater to rest on her stomach over her undershirts. His breath was warm against the shell of her red ear, his lips lifted in a grin she couldn't see. This gift of hers warmed him. Shinpi hated winter and everything that came with it, but for him she braved the elements just so they cold have this moment.

Just so they could be together.

He couldn't even begin to express how much that meant to him.

He'd find her a gift too, eventually, that would offer some hint of how much he cared about this and her. He didn't know what he'd do, but it would be something and when it happened Shinpi would be amazed.

"We should do this again in the summer. We don't need excuses like anniversaries to be alone." Hiei told her, greedy when she rocked back against him to steal more of his body heat. While she used him as a heating pad, he allowed himself a moment of consideration. "What did you tell the others about this trip?"

"Simple. I told Koenma I needed a break or I was going to snap and he'd have to file the paperwork because of the fallout. I told the others I just needed to get away. Kurama said he'd handle the rest if anyone asked where you went. No more worrying about it. We're here to be free of all that. Let's enjoy it." She closed her eyes, her shivering forgotten.

"You forgot to light the stove." Hiei teased her, nipping at her ear. "Allow me."

* * *

"Oh come on." Hiei stood on the branch of a pine likely older than himself. He wasn't high off the ground, at least not in his opinion. His feet stood even with the roof of their borrowed cabin.

Shinpi looked up at him, her feet resolutely planted on the ground.

"Absolutely not, Hiei." She told him without any indication she could be swayed. "I am not joining you up there."

"You'd deny me your company?" He asked her with his best version of a pout. "And here I thought the whole point of this was for us to spend time together."

"There is plenty of room down here with me, if you'd care to join."

"So stubborn." He sighed. "Join me, Shinpi. You'll appreciate the view."

She glared up at him then, rolling her eyes. Shaking her head she went to walk back toward the cabin when Hiei stopped her by launching himself from the branch to land in her way. Dusting snow off his pants he met her gaze.

"Please." He lowered his voice, the word as emphatic as he could make it. "For me, Shinpi."

That made her purse her lips before pitifully looking at him. "Why is this so important to you? You know how much I don't like height, Hiei. Why are you asking me to do this?"

"You don't dislike them, you're afraid of them." He explained. "Because of Hiro. It's just one more way he continues to influence your life. I want to see you more like yourself before he ruined your life."

"This fear is rational. It has a purpose. I fell to my death and now my body remembers that and has decided it won't fall again." She argued quietly. "I can't do it, Hiei. I can't. I can't breathe that high off the ground so I'll slip and hit and the ground and if I land the wrong way I could die. I don't think there will be a third life for me."

Hiei cupped her cheek and kissed her to rise her from the spiral of her thoughts. It worked, her lips moving against his before he pulled away.

"I'll protect you." He promised. "If you fall, I'll jump and I'll catch you. If you slip I'll help you keep going. That's what we do for each other, Shinpi, we push each other to rise higher."

She inhaled, looking into his eyes with disdain. He pinpointed the moment her resolve cracked under his affection. Still, he waited for her to say it.

"I'll try." Shinpi swallowed and looked over her shoulder toward the tree as though it were a looming threat. "Just know, this is a lot to ask of me Hiei and if you let me fall I'll never do this for you again. Never."

He tugged on her hand and kissed her again before dragging her toward the trunk of the tree. His preferred method was just leaping into the branches but he suspected it wouldn't be that easy for Shinpi, not with the way her hand trembled in his hold. She swallowed thickly, eyes stuck on the narrow top of the tree. Brushing his fingertips over her skin as he tucked some loose hair behind her ear, Hiei earned her attention.

"One step at a time. You don't have to reach the top, you just have to climb."

"Don't drop me." She turned back to the tree with concern in her voice.

"I'm right behind you. Nothing will happen with me here." Hiei promised.

When she moved toward the tree he followed closely and he remained as near her as he could stay while she assessed her target. Shinpi walked around the tree and he was nearly amused at how seriously she took her work of discerning the best possible path. Just as with everything she did, she obviously meant to do her best with this task he'd thrust onto her. That meant it was his job to make her succeed. She reached up to grab the lowest branch and then let her hand fall to her side. He waited.

"Did it bite you?" Hiei asked after a few seconds. "I'll burn it down if you want."

Despite his hilarious joke, Shinpi didn't laugh. She just stared.

"I don't know how I let him gain this much control over me."

Hiei frowned, walking around to lean against the trunk so he could study Shinpi's expression. Her eyes were still on the tree but fear was the least of the emotions clouding her eyes.

"When I was little it was a trial to keep my out of trees. I used to sleep in them too. I ran through them. I could hear them. But ever since… I didn't know the taste of real fear when I was young but now it coats my tongue."

"You're being overly poetic again." Hiei sighed. "Let's just say it, Shinpi. Your husband allowed you to fall to your death and it didn't come quickly. Heights remind you of pain. That's a natural response. It's called conditioning."

"I know what it's called. I studied psychology." Shinpi raised an eyebrow at him. "I know why this is happening, Hiei. I just, I can't believe I'm letting Hiro continue to effect me. He's dead and yet he still has this chokehold on me that I can't loosen."

"So climb the tree. Show that dead asshole he doesn't own you." Hiei shrugged. "Show him _I_ own you."

"You what now?" Shinpi lowered her voice dangerously. When Hiei smirked at her she rolled her eyes. "You're trying to antagonize me."

"Is it working?"

"No." She sighed. "I want this to be easier than it is. It just feels unnatural to me and I can't fight that."

"Pretend I'm in danger." Hiei suggested, checking his nails.

Shinpi blinked at him. "What? Why would I do that?"

"You threw yourself off a cliff after me before you even liked me. Surpassing yourself because someone else is in distress is what you do."

Nose wrinkled, Shinpi once again looked upward. She couldn't just conjure the mindless adrenaline of watching someone she cared about being flung to their death. Lifting to her toes she thought about launching herself upward. Slowly, her heels lowered back to the ground. What she even doing? This should be easy. Hiei was right there, he wouldn't let her fall. She could count on him. Still, there was something in the way.

Why did this simple task feel insurmountable?

"If you won't do it for me, or to piss off Hiro's spirit then do it for yourself." Hiei remained firm by the tree, feet planted slightly apart, arms crossed over his chest. When she looked at him with curiosity he waved a hand loosely, arms still crossed. "We both know sooner or later this will be used against you. I know you can do this, Shinpi. You allowed that oafish idiot to electrocute you repeatedly, literally torturing you for months-"

"Losing sight of the point here darling."

"-all because you were too stubborn to allow yourself to be trapped by your fear of Hiro's greatest power." Hiei finished, continuing despite her interruption. "So I want you to muster that bullheadedness and come over here, put your powerful fucking foot on my thigh so I can give you a boost and then pull yourself up into this goddamn tree."

"No one has ever bossed me around as much as you do." She smiled and tiptoed over. "I sort of like it."

"Then listen to me." He lowered himself, bracing against the trunk like he was sitting in a chair.

With a nod, Shinpi put one hand on his shoulder and a foot on his thigh before hoisting herself up to wrap her gloved fingers around the lowest snow covered branch she could reach. Hiei shifted, clasped hands coming under her other foot to lift her higher. He straightened himself out, standing at his full height while keeping her balanced in his hold.

"This would've been better for me to suggest in the spring when you wear skirts." Hiei commented with humor, looking up her body at her. Shinpi made a sound of shock, looking down at him with wide eyes. "Not that the view isn't still worth the effort. I do like those pants on you now that they aren't layered over three pairs of long johns."

Shinpi growled at him, pulling herself out of his hands an onto the branch she then clung to for dear life, trembling like a leaf. Hiei grinned at her, delighted she'd managed to pull through her fear.

"You look lovely up there." He told her.

"I'm going to fall." She whispered. "I'm slipping I can feel it. I'm going to fall."

"You're not going to fall. I told you." Hiei hopped up to grab the branch above him, flipping himself up and over to land on it with this feet in an effortless display of acrobatics. He casually stepped over to her branch and crouched down, placing a hand on her back. "I'm here, Shinpi."

She nodded but her death-grip on the tree didn't relent. Hiei cautiously reached over her to place his hand on hers and after a breath, he slipped his fingers under hers. With extremely slow and careful coaxing he assumed was reminiscent of the way she'd slid him into this relationship in the first place, he was able to Shinpi to stand on the branch. Her fingers dug into his hand and his shoulder as she held onto him.

"Not so bad." He wrapped his free hand around her waist.

"Don't hold me, hold the tree." She pleaded.

"The tree isn't going anywhere." Hiei chuckled. "You're standing three meters off the ground. How does it feel?"

"Not as victorious as you're hoping."

"Do you want to go higher?" He breathed against her ear.

"No. Not really." Shinpi pulled away from him slightly, placing one hand on the trunk and then looked up. "But I should, right? I don't have to reach the top."

"You just have to climb." Hiei promised with one hand on her back and the other on her stomach as she shakily reached above her.

He waited until she was halfway up to scurry to the branch in case she needed his help. Once Shinpi found her feet again, this time insistently on her own despite her wobbly balance, Hiei smiled at her. She looked up at the next branch with severe obvious reservation.

"I like the view from here." Hiei told her, pulling her attention away. From their position they could see a little into the distance into the forest coated in white, the smoke rising from the cabin's chimney. "Let's stay for a minute."

Shinpi tried to hide her relief as her fingers dug into the bark of the tree's trunk but it flooded through her. This was enough and she was glad Hiei realized that. She was honestly surprised she'd made it this far. Of all the things in her life she had chosen to overcome through sheer stubborn will, her intense fear of heights had never been one of them. It was fairly easy to avoid finding herself on the lip of a canyon. Still, she was sure that at some point she'd thank her partner for this dose of exposure therapy because he was right sooner or later this would be raised as issue. Until then though, she would remain fixed in place with terror bubbling up in the back of her throat. When Hiei shifted his weight to move closer to her the color drained from her face as the branch moved under her ever so slightly. Her feet went cold as her entire body reacted to the sudden dose of dread. Entire body melded against the side of the tree, Shinpi's eyes flashed wide and her attention immediately diverted to the ground which was a mistake as it made her realize how high off the ground she'd actually become and how precariously stationed she was. Freezing up she let out an involuntary small sound that perfectly depicted her current mentality.

Hiei stopped his movement and watched her, which part of her hated. He was paying too much attention to her fear she decided and it made her frustrated that she had enough of it that he could see it. Generally speaking, Hiei could pick up on her moods easily anyway but she knew this wasn't him using his acute senses of observation. No. She was just being too obvious and what was worse was that she couldn't help it.

"I'm coming to you." He told her gently, allowing her to prepare herself before he sidled up to her. Once he was near her she felt his palm slide over her back and that was enough of a cue that she reached out and clutched his waist. "I've got you, Shinpi. Stop looking down."

With his free hand he gently lifted her chin and directed her to look in the distance where a few deer picked their way through the snow, looking for the scraps of greenery still lingering despite the depth of the season. Shinpi watched the small herd for several minutes before she finally felt comfortable enough to speak without the irrational fear that her words would somehow knock her off balance and send her plummeting to another broken death.

"Beautiful." She told him quietly. Then with the barest hint of a smile she went on. "Too bad I didn't bring my bow. We could have venison for dinner."

Hiei's startled laugh alerted the animals, putting them on high alert. "If you were a real hunter a knife would do."

"Why bother? I have hands don't I?"

He chuckled and shook his head, tossing her a look side-long to show the light in his eye. "Did you want to climb down?"

Shinpi looked down again, swallowed and then frowned. She weighed her options. In her youth, she'd have just jumped and moved on with her day. Now she felt dizzy and wondered about the logistics of sliding from her current position down to the branch below. Inhaling deeply to exhale very slowly she closed her eyes for a moment and grounded herself in the breeze that circled them. Gradually she lowered herself into a crouch before grabbing the branch and allowing her legs to come out from under her. It took an insane amount of time but she was able to dangle herself down to the foothold below but that turned out to be a harrowing mistake as just her toes grazed the curved top of the branch she realized she was going to have to let go and land without slipping.

"It's okay." Hiei assured her.

Shinpi let go and her feet found purchase, allowing her held breath to rush out of her lungs. She looked up at Hiei with a proud grin that shifted quickly into a gape of horror as a powerful gust of wind shook the tree in it's entirety and her balance wasn't prepared for the change. Her foot slipped off the branch and the rest of her followed. Body frozen in terror Shinpi closed her eyes, expecting the pain to erupt through her form when she made contact with the harsh, frozen winter ground. The shock never came.

"I told you." Hiei told her, arms cradling her to his chest like she was something small and frail. His crimson eyes glowed with protectiveness. "I'll catch you."

He released her legs so she could stand on her own but kept his arm around her back, pulling her to him. His mouth brushed over hers then pressed firmly as he kissed her, pulling back to press his forehead to hers.

"I'm proud of you." He breathed.

Shinpi thought that the ground under her feet should thaw for the warmth she felt at his words, at his expression. This was her Hiei, the one few others ever got to witness. Her adoring, caring Hiei that hid under the gruffly defensive exterior he displayed to the world.

* * *

Firelight bounced off the snow and sent plumes of smoke upward toward the blanket of glittering black sky above Hiei and Shinpi. There were no other lights to challenge the darkness aside from their fire, no electricity lighting the cabin from within. The crackling of the wood as it succumbed to the heat battled against the quiet of their mountainside. It was peaceful and comfortable despite the cold. There was no wind to chew at their bones, no new snow to coat them.

"Dance with me." Shinpi got to her feet out of the wooden chair pulled reasonably close to the fire they'd made in the pit carved into the yard. She held her hand out to him with expectation glittering in her eyes.

Hiei remained in his chair regarding her. "I don't dance. You know that."

"Name one thing you that's fun darling." She teased him.

"Sleep. Preferably in trees." He kept his urge to smile off his face. He'd relent to her, he usually did when it came to these whims. She didn't ask him for things like this too often. "There's no music."

"We are the music darling. What more could we need?"

He was glad no one else was around to hear her spouting such romantic nonsense. He was particularly thankful that they weren't there to see his arm reaction as he fought back a blush.

"You're really going to leave me in the cold?" She asked, her hand lowering as her smile wavered. A twinge of surprised realization touched her eyes.

"You're an idiot if you think that." He climbed to his feet and yanked her close unable to pretend that expression didn't bother him, rolling his eyes mostly for show. "You ask for the most inane things sometimes. I don't understand it but if this makes you happy then fine."

"I won't tell anyone." She assured him, giggling as he grumbled. "Your image is safe in my hands, Hiei."

Of course she wouldn't, he thought. She didn't do things that might shut him down. He never commented on it, but it was obvious she held back on him often. There was no pushing him for information on his work if he didn't seem willing to talk, no demands for explanations of his past. Shinpi did her best to operate within his comfort zones even when it was clear that she wanted to ask a million questions and delve into all his answers. Sometimes he wished he was better at opening up to her. He knew it wasn't fair to keep her in the dark on so much. The idea of telling her what he was, who he was, the things he'd done, it kept him up at night. He'd nearly convinced himself several times to just do it. Just sit her down and tell her everything. But there was a wall that always formed in his throat and nothing ever got through it.

His little wolf had grown up full of honor and love and all the things he'd never known. Even now, with her in his arms he wasn't sure if he was capable of truly loving. What would she think when he told her of his blood-soaked youth? A child so angry and disastrous that the bandits he'd considered family had abandoned him just like this mother's loveless people? What would she say to him when she found out he'd used Keiko against Yusuke in an attempt to make an army? Would she see him as the indiscriminate killer he'd always been?

He didn't want to know the answer and so he refused her the chance to consider the question.

Maybe he couldn't love, he didn't really know, but if this was as close as he got then fine. He'd hold onto this feeling with all his strength.

"You're a miracle worker for managing to pull this off." Hiei told her, one hand cupping hers as the other rested on her heavily clothed waist as they moved in small, lazy circles.

"I try my best." Shinpi looked at his face with so much warmth he wondered why they even needed a fire. This woman could thaw all the ice and snow with that damn smile of hers.

And it was all his.

"I'm serious, Shinpi. Thank you for doing this for us." His eyes bore into her in that way they sometimes did when he truly wanted to impress upon her a sentiment. Most of the time when he looked at her like that it was because she had something to scare and him and he was trying to make her promise never to do it again.

But this time his sincerity spoke of a different, equally deep emotion. The look in his eye coupled with him saying _us_ made her heart flutter unexpectedly. Hiei very rarely referred to them as a unit so casually. Two years and the idea that they really were _us_ still made her chest swell and her blood grow warm.

After her moment of butterflies she offered him a gentle smile. "Even if the rest of this trip is a washout, this moment makes it worth all the effort."

* * *

In the soft morning light that filtered through drawn curtains, Hiei and Shinpi lay cuddled together on flannel sheets under a thick blanket as snow fell outside the cabin walls. Shinpi's fingers traced meaningless over his bare chest, her eyes closed while lazy smile played on her lips. The bed was small enough they had no choice but to wind together. The wood stove filled the cabin with the scent of burning wood which had burrowed into the pillow and sheets and their hair. It was a moment in paradise, warm and undisturbed and perfect.

Hiei stared up at the ceiling in his thoughts as he'd been off and on for a few hours as he dozed. They were four days into their vacation and it had been more than he could have ever expected. This was something he hadn't even known he could ask for, much less want. Now that he'd tasted this tranquility he already craved more and the week wasn't even up yet. Shinpi had outdone herself. He wasn't sure he'd ever felt this relaxed before, if he was being honest with himself. Which made his mind act up, probably to cope with the lack of external threats. All he could think about was how hard Shinpi had worked to plan this moment. How little she'd asked of him.

And how little he'd offered.

The nagging sense of imbalance eroded his pleasant mood once again. He wasn't sure what he could give her to reciprocate this vacation still, but he knew he could give her something she wouldn't outright ask for right now. Something to bridge the gap between them just a little bit.

"It snowed the day I was born."

Shinpi's fingers stilled against his chest, he felt her hold her breath as he offered the information. Despite his anxiety he soldiered on.

"I don't really notice the cold most of the time and I didn't then either, but I know it snowed because I remember seeing it. My mother's face, the faces of her people and snow." He went on. "I was abandoned not long after. I remember my mother crying for me but no one else did. When I was cast aside it was because they'd meant to kill me."

Shinpi's palm flattened against his chest, her head nestling against his shoulder as she listened. He wasn't sure how much to tell her.

"I grew up with bandits because they found me and I had a fire in me they recognized. They tried to steal something of mine and I bit them-"

"You had teeth when you were born?" Shinpi interrupted, surprised.

"Don't all infants?" Hiei blinked, looking down at her. The truth was he wasn't super familiar with children and he definitely didn't go around sticking his finger into their mouths.

"No." Shinpi giggled. "No, most babies are born without teeth."

"How do they defend themselves then?"

"They don't Hiei that's what their family is for." Shinpi patted his chest. "Also, what sort of jackass steals from a child? Bandits or not that just seems in bad taste."

Hiei wasn't sure how to answer her on that front. In fact she'd latched onto entirely benign details, not delving into why his mother's people had tossed him aside. Of all the questions she could have asked him she had chosen to talk about his teeth.

"Does the snow bother you?" She asked him. "You seem to remember it clearly."

"It's just snow. It holds no power over me." He shrugged. "It's just what is was."

"It must have been scary as such a small thing, to have such a large being trying to steal from you. Is that why you bit him?"

"No. I wasn't afraid. I was angry. That was my necklace and even then I wasn't going to let it go for no other reason than the fact it was _mine_." Hiei snorted. "Fear was a foreign concept to me for a long time. So was mercy."

"Sounds like that was out of necessity." Shinpi's breath ghosted over his skin as she spoke. "In a life where you are fighting for survival from day one I imagine there is no time for fear."

Hiei squinted up at the ceiling, confused. This was easier than he'd expected it to be. Shinpi was far more understanding than he'd anticipated. Not a hint of disgust tinged her voice. He wondered how much more he could offer before her acceptance turned into veiled revulsion.

"Mukuro found it strange I didn't cry, not even when I was born." Hiei frowned.

"You didn't?"

"No."

"Interesting." She sat up on her elbow to look at his face. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you close to tears."

"I don't cry." He stated firmly. "I've never cried and I don't intend to start anytime soon."

She nodded and kissed his cheek, pulling back with a smile. "Thank you, Hiei."

He put a hand on the back of her head and held her still so he could kiss her. Her touch was still as gentle as ever, as warm, her kiss accepting of his, her body melding against his. She hadn't withdrawn from him in light of his story. She hadn't shown him pity. Just that calm acceptance and thirst for understanding. Now he craved her being closer just to be sure. Just to know that she wasn't going to distance herself.

He had to be sure.

So he held her close and pulled at her hips and made himself at home in her embrace.


	4. Duty Calls

**A/N: This chapter is hella late but also hella long so I'm counting it as two. If I can manage to get another out in the next week so be it, but if not then at least this monstrosity stands on it's own. Sorry for the delay. A lot has happened in my life. My mom came to visit, my best friend might move in with me, my husband placed 3rd in his game at ComboBreaker. A lot of shit. Oh. And my birthday was the 29th! So this took a long time to get out. My apologies, readers. I also want to let you all know I read every review and I am incredibly happy so many of you have decided to read this story on the heels of Survivor's Guilt. Thank you all so much for your support. Every favorite, follow and review spurs me forward. **

* * *

Coming home was like shedding the world's most comfortable coat. As soon as they reentered the real world it embraced them in earnest with greedy, grabbing fingers. Yusuke called Shinpi's landline with uncanny timing half an hour after she and Hiei made it through the door.

"We're going drinking. Come with us." He demanded.

"I just got home."

"Yeah, from a vacation. Don't sound so put out. Come drink with me."

"Where?" She asked. "Because if it's that bar you got kicked out of, I don't want to go. I'd be embarassed to be seen with you."

"No, it's this new grungy dive bar I found. It's filthy. You'll love it." He promised. "Beers are cheap and they have pool."

She weighed the idea for a moment, looked to Hiei who stood with his arms crossed watching her. "Yeah, alright, I guess I could go out _one_ drink with you guys. But I swear to god Urameshi if you get me involved in another close call with the cops I will trip you and leave you to be caught."

"You're such a bitch sometimes. That's what I love about you. Here's the address. I'll meet you there." He hung up shortly after setting the time and Shinpi laughed at his vigor.

"Did you want to come get drinks with the gang?" She asked Hiei with a grin.

"You're going to go?" He asked with a frown. "How often do you go out drinking?"

Hiei always grew suspicious when she drank. She didn't blame him. The impression she'd given him of her drunk was always of a woman lost, grasping for a reason to live through a pain she no longer wanted to endure. But she had learned to cope over the years, found some of her closure. She still had a hard time on Kin's birthday every year. It would be an eternity until she didn't, she was sure. But casual drinks with friends, while still a little new to her, was comfortable and warm. It was the opposite of the earliest of her episodes Hiei had witnessed.

"Every now and then. I try not to overdo it, but when I do Kurama or Kuwabara make sure I get home alright and they tend to stay the night with me." She worked to appease him. "Don't look so worried, Hiei. It's not like I'm drowning my sorrows. I just enjoy being with our friends."

"Your friends. My allies."

"Oh please, that might have worked in the beginning but I know better by now. You're soft on the inside, Hiei. You can't lie to me." She slipped toward him, hands on his hips to hold him in place. "Sneak into the bar and join us. They'll enjoy your company if nothing else."

"Don't try to charm me into enduring a night out." Hiei complained with a frown. Shinpi moved closer to him pressing a kiss to his jaw. "Stop it."

"Alright, alright. You don't have to come." Shinpi stepped back from him with a shrug. "Don't have too much fun here all alone."

"Are you kidding? That sounds like paradise compared to listening to Yusuke grow increasingly rowdier as the night wears on." Hiei snorted. "While you're going deaf in some disgusting human bar, I'll be here indulging in the sweet sound of silence and the sense of satisfaction of not waking up hungover."

Shinpi just laughed as she breezed around him to head to her room to change. Hiei watched her go and made himself at home, wandering into the living room to take over the couch. It wasn't long after that she sauntered back to kiss his forehead, nose then peck his mouth before announcing her departure. Hiei grunted his acceptance, never opening his eyes, and listened for the door to click closed as she left. The house grew quiet, and while still comforting, it held a different hum of silence than when Shinpi was there too.

It didn't take long for him to roll off the couch, the first small rumble of hunger spurring him to investigate their food situation.

Hiei pried open the fridge to see what he had to work with. They'd been gone for a week so his hopes weren't high. But then he spied the two convenience store bentos, a note taped to the top that read _I knew you wouldn__'t go shopping on your way back- K. _They weren't the cheap, small portions either. The price made Hiei weigh the container carefully. Placing the food back in the fridge Hiei closed the door and decided that maybe seeking out their _friends_ wasn't such a bad plan after all. He could pay Kurama back for the thoughtful meal.

* * *

"Hiei! What the hell man? When did you get back?" Yusuke yelled as Hiei appeared next to their booth.

Instead of answering the fire demon just shoved Yusuke further down the booth's bench so he could post himself on the outer edge.

"I didn't expect to see you tonight." Kurama leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table to look around Yusuke. There was a particular glint in his eye that told of an unspoken joke. "What a lovely surprise, Hiei."

Hiei shot him a glare laced with warning.

"A drink for my dour looking friend please." Shinpi called to the bartender.

Hiei's scathing look at her calling him a friend did not elude her but she didn't respond to it. If he wanted to put an end to their little game he could anytime. She flashed him a smile to let him know she was winning.

"How many have you had?" Hiei asked, accepting the beer offered to him. "I'd like to know how far gone you idiots are."

"Hichi is still on her first, actually." Kuwabara offered with rosy cheeks.

"Yeah, because she's lame." Yusuke frowned, leaning over the table to shove a finger into the woman's face. "You're lame Takani. Where is your party spirit? Huh?"

"The night is young." She shrugged, sipping her beer to look at him over the rim of the glass. Then she set it back on the table and smirked away from Yusuke, cutting her eyes to him to tease him. "Unlike a child like you, I have the experience to know when to pace myself."

"Hey! I'm a full grown man!" Yusuke growled at her, cheeks and nose doused with a deep pink to betray his inebriation, but he did it with a grin.

"Aw, did your big boy hair finally come in?" She asked him sweetly. "That's adorable. I'm proud of you, son."

"Fuck you, mom." Yusuke leaned further over the table, having to plant one of his feet in the seat to leverage himself. "At least I can reach the top shelf of the cabinets without crawling on a counter."

Shinpi leaned forward too, "That's no way to speak to your mother, little man. Do I need to teach you a lesson?"

"Fight me in the alley!"

"You couldn't handle it!" Shinpi put two fingers on his forehead and pushed him back into his seat then they both erupted in laughter.

Hiei stared at them as though they'd lost their minds but no one seemed to be the slightest bit interested on his take so instead he drank his beer and watched the night unravel around him. The entire table laughed at their antics while Hiei scanned the room. Shinpi hung out in places like this, he told himself not sure why she bothered. He didn't like the idea of her lounging around in seedy bars getting drunk and doing gods knew what. The only thing that made it okay to him was the fact she had the idiots with her. The idea of her doing this alone, knowing how far gone she might get, he hated it. He hadn't seen her truly drunk in a long time, at least not like when they were new to each other, but those interactions had stuck with him.

Celebrating Yusuke's bachelor party had sent her home with sunglasses on, her voice carrying slurred lyrics through the house while she made herself instant ramen, but she'd been in a good mood and fairly present of mind.

"Move. Gotta pee." Yusuke crawled over Hiei's lap unceremoniously and staggered himself toward the bathrooms while red eyes glared at his back.

"Me too." Shinpi slid out of her booth to follow behind Yusuke, though her posture and gait were far more sober.

"Did you two enjoy yourselves?" Kurama asked as he casually sipped from his glass. "You both look better rested."

"What did you guys even do up there in the mountains?" Kuwabara pried with his rosy cheeks and face pinched in confusion.

Hiei wrinkled his nose at them both. "None of your business."

"Don't be that way Hiei, we're just interested in your life." Kurama smiled. "By the way, Yusuke thinks you were home the whole time avoiding us so you could be alone. I thought it was the most plausible explanation."

"Shinpi did mention you were handling that. I guess I'm supposed to thank you." Hiei didn't actually follow through with giving thanks, but he smirk. "And yes, we did enjoy ourselves. It was relaxing, being alone. That's all either of you need to know."

"Damn." Kuwabara frowned, looking at Kurama. "Why are you always right?"

"I warned you. I know Hiei and I know Hichi." Kurama shrugged.

"Right about what?" Hiei demanded, distrust lining his gaze as he assessed Kurama, raising his glass to his lips. "What have you done now?"

"Kuwabara thought you might propose. I told him it was a fever dream to even imagine." The redhead grinned as Hiei sputtered as he inhaled his beer, immediately falling into a fit of coughs.

"What?!" He hissed as he worked to breathe properly. "_Why would I do that?_"

"Do what?"

All three men started at Yusuke's voice, turning to look at him where he swayed on his feet next to Hiei. He glanced over their expressions: humored, embarrassed and thoroughly annoyed. Then he shrugged and sat down again, trapping Hiei between himself and Kurama.

"So. What're we talkin' 'bout?" He asked with a grin. "We talking about Shinpi and how she's getting totally screwed by Toddler Pants?"

"Yusuke, not now." Kurama warned, his humor draining. "This isn't the place."

"Yeah, whatever. I don't know why she's putting up with them." Yusuke sneered leaning heavily to one side, hand wrapped around his glass. "I woulda kicked all their asses a long time ago. She could too but she won't, 'cause she's playing _the long game._ Psh."

"Yusuke." Kurama's tone grew colder, his eyes narrowing.

"What?" The brunet demanded. "You know it too."

Hiei looked between them curious as to why this was setting Kurama off so suddenly. His body had grown taught with tension, his chin coming down so he could deliver a chilling look onto Yusuke who didn't seem to notice or care. They all knew it was true. Shinpi knew it too. It didn't make sense for Kurama to be so angry about Yusuke speaking the truth, especially when they all were so familiar with how honest Yusuke grew when he was drunk.

"What I know is that she asked us not to talk about it and you're unable to hold to that for one night." Kurama explained darkly. "She asked for one night where she didn't have to listen to us berate her and complain about her situation. If you keep this up she's going to do it again, Yusuke. So stop it."

"Do what?" Hiei asked, curious. He'd obviously missed several important social cues during this exchange.

Shinpi had asked them to not talk about her situation with Spirit World? Was this a topic of complaint as often as Kurama implied? She hadn't said anything to him about it. He knew she was frustrated with the situation, but he didn't realize those feelings had so thoroughly permeated the group.

"Disappear." Yusuke mumbled. "Alright, alight. I'll stop."

"Good." Kurama resettled himself. "Good."

Kuwabara leaned over the table to lower his voice so he could answer Hiei's unasked question which played over his features. "Yusuke went on a tirade a few months back and Shinpi kept telling him to knock it off, but he wouldn't. So she got up and left and she wouldn't come out with us for a few weeks. She said there was no point in it if she was just going to be questioned the whole time. That we were supposed to be her safe place from the bullshit, not just another pile for her to shovel through."

"Oh." Hiei frowned.

She hadn't told him that either. He knew her letters weren't always comprehensive about her personal life here, but he hadn't realized she was leaving so much out. Her rambling ideas and explanations of her investigations were a few pages long at least when she sent them. Her love letters at least two. But he only then noticed that her letters detailing her actual life outside of those things were perhaps a page front and back. Brief. He turned his glass between his fingers. Did she think he didn't care about such things so she was sparing him? Or was it that she didn't want him to know? She did have the habit of burying her frustrations, of slapping on a mask to make it all smooth over. He'd ask her about it later.

It made him wonder what else he'd been missing out on.

"How've you been?" Yusuke elbowed Hiei, rousing him from his thoughts. "It's been a while."

"Busy." Hiei answered with a glare at his beer. "Constant work, actually. My only time to breathe is when I come here and that's been happening more infrequently than I'd like."

"Yeah, you looked wrecked last time I saw you." Yusuke nodded. "You gotta take better care of yourself man. One day you're going to wake up dead and trust me, that's not fun."

"I'll be fine. If I had more than one halfway decent soldier to delegate tasks to my life would be easier, but as it stands I'm the only competent demon and my only help is Runa." Hiei complained. "It doesn't matter. I signed up for this job and I'll keep doing it. I just have to find a way to keep my energy up without sleep to bolster me."

"You should ask Shinpi her secret because I'm pretty sure she never sleeps." Yusuke laughed.

Kurama rolled his eyes and smiled, his bad attitude lifting some. "That's not true Yusuke. She normally loses consciousness at least every three weeks."

Even Hiei huffed a laugh at that.

"I think her answer would be that she runs on spite and willpower and since I'm already full of those I'll need an additional supplement." Hiei joked before finishing his beer. Yusuke waited until his glass hit the table before he shouted that they needed another round. "Speaking of Shinpi, where the hell is she?"

"Why, did you miss me?" Shinpi asked as she slid back into the booth beside Kuwabara.

"Hardly."

"That still implies you did, a little." She eyed Hiei and then winked at him. "So, what trouble did you hooligans raise while I was preoccupied?"

"Kurama yelled at Yusuke for being an idiot." Kuwabara grinned. "And then we started making fun of you for not sleeping."

"The classics. It's good to know you're all playing the same old hits." She sighed, leaning back in the booth. "Honestly, I've never met a bigger bunch of nags than you lot and I've lived with Hai for most of my life. I sleep when I need to sleep. You make me sound like some sort of insomniac or something."

Kurama delicately coughed into his hand and she shot him a dirty look. He smiled at her pleasantly. "Of course you take great care of yourself Hichi, a model of routine when it comes to sleeping and eating and seeing daylight."

"I would set alarms but then what would you do with the time you spend reminding me?" She teased him with a smile.

"True, taking care of you is my favorite hobby." He laughed and then looked to Hiei. "It reminds me of you sometimes, when you were younger and still new to human world."

Hiei grimaced for humor and glanced at Shinpi. "Ouch. That is not a compliment."

"I wish I had seen you two together back then. I wonder what you were like. I've heard you were the dynamic duo but stories aren't the same as being there." She leaned forward. "But I'd settle for a few anyway."

"I don't know what you're expecting. We were allies and we grew to be close during that time." Hiei shrugged.

"Oh you two were close alright." Kuwabara muttered and Kurama spit into his drink as he worked not to choke on it. Hiei laughed at him because he felt that was karmic action at it's finest. Yusuke leered at them and then offered a devious smile.

"Oh yeah man. We were all totally convinced those two were boning." He declared. "You should've heard the way Hiei used to talk about Kurama. _Oh he__'s so powerful and smart and perfect."_

"Really now?" Shinpi grinned brightly and looked at the two men who were trapped on Yusuke's side of the table. "Oh do tell me more about this love affair."

Yusuke went to open his mouth and Kurama's voice cut him off. "It doesn't really matter anymore does it? Hiei and I weren't dating. We were, and I would hope still are, extremely close friends. Honestly, I don't think it's much different than our relationship Hichi. When he came to this world, Hiei found me first. We were quick allies and then partners, we had to rely on each other. It's only natural for a bond like that to be strong, don't you agree?"

She nodded but her attention on him felt probing and he didn't like it so he stared back at her hoping to ward off whatever thoughts were bouncing around her skull. She looked over at Hiei who didn't seem bothered by the topic at all. Then she shrugged.

"Too bad. I would have loved to have some dirt on the two of you." She let it go. Or so they thought. "It's also a shame, because you two would have made a handsome and powerful couple I think. I do love a good height difference between lovers. It just adds something special, doesn't it?"

Hiei looked at her and her wicked smile and almost warned her that she was stirring up the right kind of trouble from him. Instead he rolled his eyes. "I've never been very interested in romantic pursuits so that notion lacks any merit."

"It doesn't have to be romantic. Sometimes you just want to be touched." Shinpi shrugged, leaning back. "Or at least I do. And let's be honest here, there are worse creatures to take to bed than our lovely Kurama. No one would blame either of you for falling into the trap of one another's company."

Hiei merely sipped his fresh beer and Kurama swallowed having used two napkins to clean his chin and the table after his incident with his drink.

"While we're talking about friendships that looked like burgeoning romances, let's not forget Kuwabara's obsession with Yusuke, hmm?" Kurama offered to the table with a casual tone despite his glittering eyes. "You were truly enamored with our valiant leader for quite some time."

"That's right, I almost forgot." Hiei agreed devilishly. "Your entire world revolved around getting strong enough to get his attention. I've never seen a man so fulfilled by the idea of getting beaten into the ground. And you definitely had an affinity for screaming his name."

"Hey! It was never like that! Not that there's anything wrong with it or anything, it just wasn't like that!" Kuwabara's face turned red. "I just wanted to prove myself is all! Don't make it weird! It was a manly thing!"

"Don't let them rile you up, Kazuma." Shinpi reached up and started playing with the hair above his nape to calm him down. He shivered as her nails scraped his scalp and then he leaned into her touch.

Hiei openly scowled at the display. He did not like that, not one bit. He was more than aware of Shinpi's casual affections being put onto the others but this was a public place and the satisfaction on Kuwabara's face read as obscene to him. If nothing else, he should have the decency to guard his reaction. What sort of idiot just looked that comfortable being caressed in the open? Also, Shinpi cutting off his fun wasn't fair. She'd gotten to have hers. She tossed him a conniving smile that alluded to her action being intentional.

"Just like you to get handsy with a Kuwabara." Yusuke snickered at the shorter woman. "You still chasing Shizuru's skirt or have you moved onto bigger prey?"

Shinpi didn't rise to the bait, instead shrugging. "Shizuru was very firm but kind in her rejection and I would never dream of disrespecting her by questioning it. I do have my eyes on a few choice cuts of meat though. Why the interest, Yusuke, are you and Keiko already in the spicing it up part of your marriage?"

Yusuke inhaled his drink too suddenly and it sloshed down the front of his shirt and all over his pants. He cried out at the cold contact, the table rocking dangerously as he jumped to his feet in an attempt to wipe the liquid off. Shinpi snatched her glass at the last second, saving herself with a pleased smile as she watched him complain. Kurama too had managed to grab his beverage. Hiei's cup sat empty and therefore posed to danger to anyone but Kuwabara's glass…

Well no one had thought to save that particular beer so it too fell victim to Yusuke's buffoonery, upending and sending it's contents over the table and consequently all over Shinpi's pants.

Her smile faded rather quickly as the taste of victory was buried beneath the scent of hops and alcohol. Swearing to herself she stood up too, though with far more control, and handed her drink to Kuwabara. "That backfired rather quickly. I'm going to go try to clean myself up."

She cuffed Yusuke on the back of his head with an insult as she passed him on her way to the restroom.

"That's what she gets!" Yusuke grumbled, his cheeks carrying a dark pink hue. "Keiko and I are just fine! She needs to keep her hands to herself." Then he turned to glare at Hiei and Kurama. "One of you needs to pull the reins on her or something! Maybe if she got laid she wouldn't be such a brat."

"I don't think sex is the solution to her attitude." Hiei announced casually, his grin completely missed by the detective. "In fact I'd go so far as to suggest it might even embolden her."

"Yeah well then maybe you aren't the guy for the job." Yusuke huffed, the pink dousing his cheeks and nose growing deeper in shade. He turned and jabbed a finger toward the redhead of their group. "Kurama, what about you? Do you think you could tame that beast?"

Hiei turned in his seat to pointedly await the answer. Kurama cleared his throat, closed his eyes and waved a hand gently. "The mere idea that any man could change Hichi in anyway she didn't want to be changed is ludicrous Yusuke. You're asking for a miracle that none of us are in the position to grant. Have another drink."

Kuwabara made a small noise and they all noticed his face was beet red still, the color having crept up to his ears. "I don't think we should be talking about Hichi this way. We're not a bunch of boys in a locker room, you know. We're real men and we're her friends."

"Aw, you're scared of mom." Yusuke teased him, his annoyance immediately forgotten in favor of taunting his friend. "And here I thought Kurama was the momma's boy."

"Original." Kurama rolled his eyes.

"Oh shut it. You're the one who pouted for three weeks the last time you made her mad!" Kuwabara's expression turned sly. "You got so upset about it you even bought her flowers and told her sorry. Even Keiko was shocked. You never even do that for your real mom."

"Are we still doing this gambit?" Hiei wondered aloud, ignored by everyone present. "She's not your mother."

"Well, at least I didn't have to ask her to take me suit shopping!" Yusuke barked.

"Yeah, because you don't wear a suit because you're not a respectable man."

"Oh shut up."

"Now now children, settle down." Kurama laughed at them. "You're going to get us kicked out."

Hiei pulled his foot up to rest on the bench seat so he could prop his arm against his knee. He was actually enjoying himself something he was sure Shinpi would gloat about later if he ever admitted it. Yusuke's bluster lacked bite and Hiei knew it wasn't actually based in bitterness. Yusuke cared about Shinpi deeply, just as they all did, and it was clear to Hiei now that his frustration with her was rooted deeply in her perceived lack of interest in changing her situation. He could relate. Yusuke likely didn't even get to see Shinpi in her darker moments when the frustration and anger leaked out from whatever bottle inside her she'd been keeping them hidden in. He probably hadn't ever walked in on her pacing her house like a caged animal, snarl on her face as she ruminated on her metaphorical chains. And Yusuke probably didn't know how quickly she was coming to the end of her patience with Enma and his wretched taunts of giving her the truth about her resurrection.

One of the only reasons they'd been able to keep her alive in the beginning was by promising Spirit World that she'd be an indispensable ally, and so far she'd fulfilled that role. She'd proven them all right, had earned her place. But he knew that Shinpi wasn't sitting idle, she wasn't a helpless complicit creature tossed about by her circumstances. Shinpi always had a plan, always had a goal, always had a way out.

His woman was not afraid of making powerful enemies and if Spirit World didn't start giving her crumbs to sate her hunger then she'd go out hunting for herself, and quite frankly Hiei was not convinced that any of Enma's toy soldiers would be enough to stop her. They needed to start appreciating that she was playing their game for their sake and not her own. Especially given that not one of the team would be willing to take up arms against her if she did choose to sever her tenuous connection to the arrogant god lauding his imagined power over her.

Hiei lifted himself from his thoughts at the sound of the bar door slamming open and a gruff voice preceding a stifled feminine utterance of pain. The entire table grew quite, Yusuke stopping mid-tease his fingers still in Kurama's hair where he'd been ruffling the strands just to be annoying. Kuwabara openly scowled at the newcomers, the man average height and built like a gangster who had been too high a station for too long and thus had lost what muscle had once made him useful. The woman was thin, the frail sort of thin that spoke of induced malnourishment, her dark hair shining only through the grace of whatever products had been applied to it to produce the look of health. The small dark horns atop her head blended with her hair. Her skin held color, her cheeks painted pink, her lips painted red, her eyes painted grey and smudged from tears that had been shed before being meticulously wiped away to avoid ruining the rest of the applied makeup.

Bruises on her upper arm.

Caked on makeup around one eye.

Same eye had busted a blood vessel tainting the whites a harsh red that matched her lipstick.

Clothes look expensive, well tended, but loose. Meant for a body she'd had months before not the one she was sporting now.

Heels high enough to make it hard for her thin ankles to stabilize.

The four men glanced at each other and shifted their scrutiny away just before the man turned to look at them. They'd need to decide if they were going to intervene and if so how. A confrontation in the bar? On the street? If he had his way it would be a quick, quiet, dispatch of the wretch and the police would the find the body exsanguinated in an ally and celebrate one less gangster on the streets. But he couldn't have his way.

"Oh fuck." Yusuke's eyes grew increasingly more clear as the situation sobered him. He kept his cursing quiet, but agitated. "Oh goddammit. Don't go in there."

Hiei turned to barely peek over his shoulder and closed his eyes as the man shoved the woman toward the restroom. Great.

"Is she still in there?" He asked quietly.

"Yes." Kurama sighed. He signaled for another round of drinks before pushing his way out of the booth to go and pay up their tab. He brought the beers to the group and bowed his head. "I suggest we spread out vantage point so we can better observe the fallout. There's a pool table. Yusuke, Kuwabara time for revelry. Hiei-"

"I'll keep an eye on it." Hiei smirked already aware of his role. "I might need your help if it comes down to pulling her off the cretin."

"Naturally."

* * *

Shinpi grumbled under breath as she dabbed at the beer soaking her pants. She probably reeked of alcohol. Dammit. Commercial bathroom paper towels left a lot to be desired in the absorbency department and she hated that the damn rough brown paper existed at all. Maybe she should just stop trying and go beg a bar rag off the bartender. Or she could cut her losses and go home. Hiei would probably prefer that.

She hoped he was having more fun that he showed.

Just as she gave up on actually cleaning the mess of her pants the door to the bathroom opened and another woman walked in, heels clacking against the tile. Shinpi had always appreciated the sound of high heels on hard surfaces, they played a song of power and confidence, a war song. A warning. But the steps she heard then were hesitant, careful, cautious. They came to a stop when she raised her hand to assess the maestro of the score. She did not like what she saw.

Bruises, mistreatment, fear.

"Are you okay?" Shinpi asked quietly, burying her sudden anger under layers of gentle friendliness.

"I'm fine." The quick response accompanied dark eyes that widened with shrunken pupils, a body going stiff but still managing to fold in on itself a little. "Why do you ask?"

"We always know when to ask, don't we?" Shinpi smiled softly. "Women protect other women even when we don't why."

The other woman wrapped her arms around her middle and looked toward the bathroom stall. Shinpi looked that way too, then the door.

"I'm not here to cause problems for anyone. But if it turns out you aren't actually fine, and instead that you're maybe in a lot of trouble and absolutely terrified of someone then just know that I'm tougher than I look."

The terror that showed on the woman's face as Shinpi finished talking startled her, because she hadn't meant to frighten the girl. And now as Shinpi looked her over again that's what she saw, not a woman but a girl. Nineteen, possibly twenty. Grown enough to make her own choices but still so incredibly young. Shinpi shook her head slightly and headed for the door, wondering how to best approach this. Because she was definitely going to do _something_.

"Wait." A small hand wrapped around Shinpi forearm stopping her from opening the door. She turned to look into those broken dark eyes as the girl spoke in a quiet voice that cracked with fear. "You're not here alone are you?"

"No. I'm here with friends."

The girl nodded looking somewhat relieved. "Good. You should stay close to them. You're really pretty."

Shinpi eyed her with understanding. "You're bait."

The girl's hand retracted quickly as she rushed to step back and away. She tried to stutter a response to the negative but Shinpi lifted a hand to stop her.

"Don't worry little one, I'm in no danger. And by the end of the night you'll be safe." She promised before whisking out of the room determined and furious.

* * *

Shinpi stumbled toward the bar and offered a sloppy grin to the bartender, ignoring her four compatriots as they played pool. She felt eyes on her, her nape tickling with the sensation of being watched, but she didn't react. She purposefully didn't look over as Yusuke and Kuwabara loudly bickered over the rules of the game. Instead she leaned heavily against the bar and placed an order for a mixed drink before laughing loudly.

"My friends just left me here. What bitches, right?" She giggled to the bartender as they slid her the drink. With raised eyebrow they glanced toward the boys but Shinpi winked and shook her head. "I guess I'm walking home, but not before I drink this. I need new friends."

She laughed again, putting effort into being as obnoxious as possible.

The frightened rhythm of heels scurrying over the dirty wooden floor caused Shinpi to glance toward the woman and now the man who sat across from her. His eyes were glued to Shinpi and she forced that drunken grin to remain in place as she beamed at him. Then she lifted her drink and sipped it, swaying her way toward their table before casting herself down in a chair.

"I need new friends." She announced again, a little too loud. "Mine just left me here. That's rude right?"

"Incredibly." The man smiled at her and even that expression looked sleezy.

Across the bar, Kurama glanced at Hiei who glared away from the scene, annoyance playing over his features. He watched through a mirror that advertised Heineken beer in bold green letters. Yusuke scratched, the white cue ball slamming into the corner pocket even though he'd had a clear shot to knock a ball into the side pocket. He swore loudly playing up his stupor with his grumbling.

"What is she doing?" He asked quietly, marching to stand beside Hiei as Kuwabara took his turn.

"Getting herself kidnapped." Hiei responded darkly. "There must be more to this than the two of them."

"When they leave-"

"All four of us would attract too much attention. You and Kuwabara can go home. Kurama and I will handle the rest. I'll have Shinpi contact you when everything is done."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Hiei refocused on the mirror as the man began speaking, following a loud and lengthy tale of lies woven by Shinpi to explain her situation.

"Well, if you need a ride home we can give you one. It'd be a shame if something happened to you out there all alone. Lots of pretty girls been going missing lately. You can't be too careful." He slid a forked tongue over his lips, one hand on the back of the neck of the young woman filling the seat at his side.

"You're so nice! I'm so lucky." Shinpi beamed at him and nearly fell out of her chair. She followed his prompt to get to her feet so they could leave and then followed them out the door.

Kurama and Hiei waited for a moment before leaving the bar, hanging back just enough to catch the man opening the back door of the car for Shinpi and the other woman. He promised he would take good care of her and then laughed as he slammed the door closed, walking around to the driver's side. Hiei's eyes felt permanently narrowed.

They'd been back for less than a day. Could she really not avoid trouble for twenty-four hours?

"Once again I have to admit, I'm shocked by her ability to act." Kurama told Hiei as they started to walk, the soft glow of the Jagan hidden under Hiei's bangs and the white bandana wrapped around his head.

"She spent the first twenty-four years of her life acting like someone she wasn't. She has plenty of experience." Hiei reminded him. "I can't believe she just launched herself into this without consulting anyone. Is she always this brash when I'm not around?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that." Kurama pressed his lips together and hedged. "Shinpi is confident in her abilities and her plans. Even the ones she has barely just finished plotting. But, to put you at ease, not to my knowledge. Normally she at least attempts to include someone else, if it's only to let us know what she's doing. I think she only threw herself into this because she knew she could precisely _because_ you were there to watch her back."

Hiei mentally swore as he realized he hadn't paid for their drinks in his petty attempt to pay Kurama back for buying them food.

"You need to stop coddling her." Hiei shot at his friend instead. "If you keep taking care of her she's going to grow reliant on you. I saw the bentos you bought. It would have served us both right to go hungry for not making the correct plans."

"I don't mind." Kurama argued as they turned a corner. "I actually think it's good that she's a little reliant on me. It gives her a reason to remember she's not in this world alone."

"I'm not saying she needs to be alone, I'm saying she needs to be independent. She's lived for centuries without our interference. When we met her she was entirely self sufficient. Now she's forgetting to buy groceries. What's she going to do when you get your own life?" Hiei explained hotly. "You're setting her up for a crash, Kurama. If you keep this up then when you can't do it anymore she's going to fall apart."

"I see your concern Hiei, but I just don't agree. Plus, I enjoy doing these small things for her. It allows me to check in." Kurama pushed his fingers through his bangs. "She gets lonely. We all get so busy with our own lives that it isn't always possible for us to meet and catchup or hangout. And you know as well as I do what happens to her when she gets lonely. She starts to doubt things. If all I have to do to keep her from spiraling is stop by now and then with some food then I'm going to keep doing that."

"It's still that bad?" Hiei looked up at him. "Her moods, I mean?"

"It can be." Kurama nodded. "I keep telling her to just call one of us when she's feeling isolated but it's hard for her to reach out. She feels like she's a burden if she asks for help. That independence you want from her is still very much so alive, but it costs her to do everything on her own."

"I didn't think about it that way." Hiei admitted quietly, but still with a gruff tone. "She doesn't tell me these things in her letters."

"I'm aware. I've spoken to her about that as well. She doesn't want to worry you." Kurama's tone shifted to reveal his own frustration. "I hope now you understand why I'm not going to stop doing things for her."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Hiei tilted his head, changing the subject as he watched the car come to a stop in his third eye. "They've arrived at a large building. An apartment maybe? Or an office? Keep up."

He took off running and Kurama lamented having to jostle his sloshy stomach. He should have suggested dinner _before_ drinks instead of assuming they'd be able to wander around after to get food. They both knew that Shinpi could handle herself, but that nagging sense of uncertainty always gripped him and he guessed it hooked into Hiei too. That fear that this would be the one time she didn't have it under control. So, he pushed himself to keep pace with Hiei as best as he could.

Which was easier said than done. While Yusuke, Shinpi and Hiei made a habit of sparring and training on the regular he had let himself grow soft. His legs burned with his lungs. This was a sign he needed to get back into shape. Even Kuwabara, as busy as he was, found time to exercise and work on his energy training.

What a strange feeling to realize he was the weakest member of the group at the moment.

Something would definitely have to be done about that.

* * *

Shinpi stared up at the building, assessing the innocuous exterior. Just another hotel. It looked like so many other places and that only fed into her fury. This place was out in the open. This den of horrors had the audacity to look like a respectable place of business.

She would reduce the whole goddamn thing to rubble if she had her way.

The hair on her nape stayed on end and that was enough to inform her that Hiei was out there watching, ready to help if she needed it. She was glad they'd let her do this her way. If they'd confronted this bastard at the bar they might not have found this place and the other victims would have continued on being used and abused. The idea of it tensed her jaw.

A firm hand grabbed her by the back of her neck and shoved her forward, fingertips digging into her flesh in an attempt to gain control over her. Against her nature, Shinpi allowed herself to be moved despite her heels wanting to dig in. Hot breath hit her ear. "Welcome to your new home. We got lots of friends for you."

"I have a home." Shinpi figured some sort of resistance would be necessary, some fear. It would be more suspicious for her not to try to fight a little, right? "I thought you were taking me home?"

"I did." He tightened his grip. "Get in there girly, because if I have to make you your value goes down. Every bruise knocks off a dollar sign."

"No." She shook her head and pulled back. He grabbed her by the arms and worked to overpower her half-hearted flailing. "No! Let me go!"

"Let-let her go, please." The young woman pleaded suddenly, moving to pull his hands off of Shinpi. "Please, let her go."

The back of his hand sent the girl stumbling with a cry of pain. Shinpi grew still, surprised and alarmed. He had hit the girl so hard. Taking her sudden stillness as compliance, the man smirked before grabbing them both by their arms and dragging them inside. Shinpi only stopped resisting because she didn't want the other girl to play hero again. There was no way she was letting her get hurt.

They were walked through an bustling lobby and passed reception. Not one of the men in the room moved to assist them. The men ranged from obviously human to atrociously demonic. The girls, most of whom were humanoid in appearance just different enough they couldn't hide their demon nature, took in Shinpi with mingled pity and fear. Their gracious host tossed both of them into room lined with beds but lacking windows.

"Get her cleaned up and ready to be assessed." He demanded of the girl, gesturing to Shinpi. "And clean up your face. You're going back on the floor as soon as you're done."

The door shook when it slammed closed, the heavy sound of a lock turning filling the room.

"Why did you do this?" The girl demanded quietly, nearly in tears. "I tried to warn you."

"I told you. I'll be fine. And you will be too." Shinpi got to her feet then helped the girl up as well. "What's your name?"

"Asuha." The girl swallowed. "There's no leaving this place. They guard the doors and-"

"Do the guests sign in?" Shinpi cut her off.

Asuha blinked and then stammered, "I think so."

"Good. I'll be taking that book with me." Shinpi nodded and started to look around the room. "You mentioned guards, how many?"

"Um. I don't know. Maybe ten?"

"Exits? I'm assuming there's the front door, two emergency exits at the end of both halls and obviously some way for the owners to slip out if there's a raid. Is that right?"

"I think so. There is definitely two emergency exits. Guards are on them at all times. Just in case someone runs." Asuha wrapped her arms around her middle. "How are you so calm? Why aren't you terrified?"

"I'm making a plan." Shinpi explained as if this answered the question. Objectives, get the girls out of the building and returned safely to their lives, get the register, eliminate as many of the perpetrators as possible while keeping the external damage to the building at a minimum to avoid alerting the human authorities. Guests would likely have to wait for punishment unless they put up a fight. No humans to be harmed.

The level of demon trafficking would unfortunately require reporting to Koenma. SDF would need to get involved.

Hiei and Kurama would be on them soon. By now they'd have assessed the building as she had.

God this would be so much easier if she could just lay waste to every guilty soul in the place. Guests and gangsters alike. Just evacuate the girls and drop a twister on the damn hotel and let it be done. Spirit World was so stringent when it came to what they thought was justice. These men hardly deserved mercy.

At least she could demonstrate her wrath on the demons involved. Set an example.

Her lips twisted up in a grin that spoke of the chaos to come. "Right. Tell me about this assessment?"

"Oh. Well. They take you into a room and they examine you and they ask you questions to determine your value. For first timers they set a base price then they take you out to the floor and have the guests bid on who gets to be with you first."

"Horrific." Shinpi growled. "Gods I'm going to enjoy this so much. Am I to be assessed by the leader?"

"Yes. And his top men." Asuha nodded. She moved to a bed and pulled makeup out to start reapplying, covering the redness the backhand had left on her face. She pointed to a thin cotton robe hanging on it's own peg on the wall. "They'll want you to put that on."

"If I don't?"

"They'll make you. And they'll punish me for not convincing you." Asuha put her makeup down to turn to look over at Shinpi. "But I'll take the beating. It's okay you don't-"

"No. I'll do it." Shinpi stripped her shirt over her head and tossed it onto a bed, her pants following. Her silver Infinity Chain wrapped around her wrist and she kept it one as she donned the robe, tying it closed. The sash would come in handy.

"They're going to hurt you." Asuha's voice was so quiet it trembled from the effort to be audible.

"They're going to die." Shinpi shook her head. "When you hear the screaming start, try to get the girls out of here. Go through the front doors but try to stick together. I don't want anyone getting stolen during the havoc."

"Screaming?" Asuha questioned.

"Oh yes. It'll be loud. You'll hear it."

"But the guards-"

"Won't be an issue. Just stay safe, don't fight, and try to keep everyone calm. Everything will be alright."

The door opened and the man with the forked tongue assessed Shinpi then Asuha. "Aren't you done yet?"

"I'm sorry." She rushed to apply blush and then scurried around him out the door, not before tossing one more worried glance toward Shinpi.

"Time to see what you're made of girly." He grabbed Shinpi by the upper arm and she let him while daydreaming about breaking his fingers at the joints.

He marched her down a hall and then down a set of stairs into an underground room where three other men stood. An array of instruments lay on a table near them, a large bed in the center of the room. In the corner set up like a dressing room. The heavy scent of cigar smoke clogging the hair. Shinpi stood and assessed her captors as they looked her over. The hand on her arm let her go, only to move into her hair and take the strands in a balled fist.

"Bow to show respect." The demand was growled at her by the man at her side. He tried to force her head down but Shinpi refused to move. Instead she kicked out and her heel slammed against his shin.

"Don't touch my hair." She hissed, he went to strike her but she evaded his hits before slamming her head against his face. Two of the other men grabbed her arms to pull her away as the man swore and spit blood to the side. He raised his hand.

"Don't bruise the merchandise." A strong, firm voice stopped the assault. The third man, who had not moved, watched them all with cold eyes. "Get out. You two, tie her hands."

Shinpi growled as they wrapped rope around her wrists. If they thought that would stop her, they were dead wrong.

"You're spirited." The man stepped forward, head tilted. "How did he manage to get you here?"

"I chose to come." Shinpi informed him curtly as he prowled closer.

"Chose?" He laughed. "Why would you do that?"

"Men like that idiot never work alone. I knew there were others. I wanted to meet you personally." Shinpi's tone was even and cold.

"Well, you've managed to succeed. Here I am. Now, is there another part of your plan?" He seemed to believe she was in over her head, it shone in his eyes and smile. One of the men flanking her walked behind her to grip both arms as the leader reached forward to collect a few strands of her hair, allowing it slide out of his grip. "I see why you're defensive of your hair, it is quite lovely."

"Are you the real leader or does this ring go deeper?" Shinpi questioned.

"What good would that information do you?"

"Well, when I'm done massacring your men, I want to know if I should keep you alive or if there is someone else I need to go after." Shinpi lowered her voice delicately, offering him a smile.

"That's adorable. You really fancy yourself a hero, don't you little girl?" He leaned over her. "It's just me, I'm the top of the food chain and right now you're a the bottom. But given all this attitude you have I might not even put you out on the floor yet. I might just keep you for myself until I grow tired."

He grabbed her face and got dangerously close to her.

"I'm going to break that spirit of yours." He promised.

"Better men than you have tried." She murmured back, shoving her weight back into the chest of the man holding her arms. Using him as a base she lifted both of her feet in a kick that landed in the leader's chest, sending him staggering back. As her feet came down, Shinpi threw her weight forward and down, jerking away from her captor. Her tied hands slammed across his face before she kicked his diaphragm and when he doubled over, she dropped a kick down against the back of his neck so that he sagged to the floor. Her hair flared around her as she summoned her wind and her smile glinted like a knife as she nodded toward the second flunky. He moved to rush her and she spun around, her leg arching in a kick that sent him flying backward into the far wall, blood staining his clothes from the gash her wind cut across his torso.

Shinpi turned at the sound of the leader scrambling up the stairs. She allowed him the lead for the moment, listening as he shouted for the guards closest to him for help.

Fat lot of good they'd do for him, she thought, but still she shrugged as she decided it wasn't worth having words over. Her stomach rumbled and it made her frown as she started to climb the stairs. "Oh damn. I forgot to eat. I wonder if I'll be able to convince Hiei to go out for food before we go home."

When she got to the door she didn't bother testing it, instead just throwing it open by slamming the bottom of her foot against the wood and letting her energy do the rest. There was definitely a scream that met her ears at her entrance and she glanced toward the main lobby, glad to note that Asuha was doing her best to rush the girls out of the hotel. Footsteps behind her allowed Shinpi to duck away from the guard meaning to attack her. These men were so unprofessional. Or maybe her standards were just too high. She forgot sometimes that not every thug had trained to fight.

She'd been spoiled by her boys and their relatively quiet footsteps.

Spinning around on bare feet, Shinpi eyed the man coming toward her who seemed perplexed. He stopped, lowering his fist. It was then she realized she was still dressed in the robe with her hands bound. She must've looked so small to him.

"Please! Help me! Someone just started attacking people and I don't know what to do!" She cried out, looking around wildly. "I barely made up the stairs. I don't know where to go. Please, help me. Please."

"I have one of the girls in the corridor." The guard spoke into the walkie-talkie clipped to his shoulder. "Keep your eyes open. You. Get back to your room, we'll take care of the intruder."

"I don't know where I am. I was out with friends and I just woke up here." She pleaded with him. "Please, you have to get me out of here."

"Fuck me. A newbie." He rolled his eyes and walked over to her, taking her arm with far more gentleness than most of the others had shown. "I'll show you."

But being gentle didn't change the fact he knew what he was doing. Shinpi planted her feet, closed her eyes and wondered how the world could go so wrong for so many.

* * *

Hiei and Kurama both waited outside the hotel, backs to the wall as Hiei watched through the Jagan. Shinpi willingly playing into the hands of this cretins was enough to chafe him raw. Stripping down to her underwear to be examined, donning nothing but a robe? Allowing them to bind her hands? She craved a challenge and it was going to get her killed someday.

"She's such a fucking fool." He growled, eyes pinched closed. "But she's asked the girl from the bar to guide the others out here. She intends to eliminate the guards herself."

"You're surprised?" Kurama smiled, though his friend couldn't see it.

"Surprised? No. Growing increasingly aggravated with her antics tonight? Definitely."

"I'll tend to the ladies once they start fleeing. I assume you want to join Hichi."

"I might. I also might just let her do it all herself since she's so damned determined." Hiei groused. He looked up at Kurama, caught sight of the knowing look being cast his way and snapped, "Don't you start. I can practically hear you throwing my words back in my face."

"I didn't say anything." Kurama put up his hands.

Someone inside the building began shouting and pandemonium quickly followed with men and women alike fleeing the building. Kurama and Hiei nodded at each other, the fox running to calm the girls and guide them to safety and Hiei to see how many of the patrons he could collect before Shinpi inevitably needed his help.

* * *

Groans filled the air, blood slicking the floor and staining the ruined cotton robe Shinpi wore. It had fallen open at some point and now streaks of red splattered over her skin as well. Her nails dug into the cheeks of the man from the bar as she lifted him to his toes, her still-bound hands wrapped around his jaw.

"Where is the boss?" She demanded, fingers tightening as she bared her teeth.

"Never." He grunted.

The man she sought made his way, slowly and quietly, to the door. Crawling on his belly he let his underling distract Shinpi so he could escape. A good enough use of the man's life. He nearly made it when suddenly a foot landed against the space between his shoulder blades, pinning him down. His startled and pained cry earned Shinpi's attention over her shoulder.

"You almost let one get away." Hiei told her, pressing his weight down onto the man's back without mercy, earning another groan. "You're sloppy."

"Sloppy?" Shinpi released her no longer useful victim and watched him scurry back from her. "Oh please, darling. I had this under control. So easy I could do it with my hands tied."

She displayed the rope on her wrists to him with a smile.

Hiei hated that he found the display enticing in the moment. There were moments when Shinpi's feral, demonic nature showed through and it called to a particularly brutal part of him he'd never been able to fully outgrow. This was one of those times. She had no right to look so alluring standing before him, surrounded by her broken enemies, wearing little more than her blood-streaked skin. She. Had. No. Right. To appease his mounting frustration, Hiei pressed his heel down into the back under his foot, knowing his expression probably spoke of both his desire and his intense anger.

Shinpi looked him over, admiring Hiei in his dark jeans and tee, his heavy boots. His usual human attire. The way his eyes literally glowed like embers right then because there was no denying his was utterly furious with her for any number of things. But his engorged pupils gave him away and she knew his weak spot.

"What are we doing with this one?" Hiei demanded as she crept closer.

"Save him. I'd like to pick his brain." Shinpi offered a smile she knew didn't look safe. She extended her wrists to Hiei, chin lifting slightly. "Untie me?"

Hiei looked down at her hands, then back up to her making no move to undo her binds.

"Please?" She pressed.

He reached out and grabbed the rope, using it to yank her close to him, his grip unrelenting. He was glad there was something to grab other than her wrists because the rope whined under the pressure of his hold and he knew if he'd held onto her, it would have left bruises.

"You think you've earned the right to run free?" He demanded in a low, rough voice. "You've lost your mind."

"Are you angry with me?" Shinpi tilted her head in mock innocence. "Whatever for?"

He pulled her an inch closer by her binds. They were only a few inches apart. He couldn't make up his mind if he wanted to kill her or take her. Either way, she was going to pay for putting him through this ordeal. Her blank confidence wavered under his scrutiny, her throat moving as she swallowed. Her eyes dipped down to his mouth, her chest rising and falling heavily, and not from the exertion of her work. Hiei watched her struggle and still did nothing. Didn't even smirk or smile.

Shinpi swallowed again and her voice was breathy when she spoke his name.

Still, he didn't move. The ropes offered another complaint as his fingers tightened again. He could feel the heat of his skin radiating and it was sharp.

"Ask me again." He demanded, cool and in control.

"Hiei, please." Shinpi whispered. "Untie me."

He broke the ropes with his bare hands, allowing the tattered pieces to fall to their feet. Shinpi nodded her thanks with a quiet word, realizing she had actually upset him. Her fingers went to smooth over her wrist to soothe the harsh red marks left behind when Hiei wrapped one hand around her forearm and used the other to capture her palm. Bowing his head he planted a few searing kisses over her skin.

"Which one of them dared to put their hands on you?" He demanded, tense and warring with a battery of emotions.

"The other two are downstairs, but he's the mastermind." Shinpi nodded toward the man trembling under Hiei's heel. "I need him alive, Hiei. I have questions that demand answers."

"He'll survive. You'll just have to wait a few days for your interrogation." Hiei promised her, that hot glare turning to the man on the floor. "Go outside Shinpi. When the SDF asks you what happened to him, it'll be in your best interest not to know the answer."

She hesitated and then pulled her robe closed and walked around the two men to exit the building. Hiei watched her back for a moment before removing his foot so he could kneel down next to the boss of the group responsible for this mess. His fingers burrowed through dark strands of styled hair, yanking the man's head back.

"You are a lucky man. You should count your blessings. A few years ago and she likely wouldn't have let you live. And if she didn't need you, I sure as hell wouldn't." Hiei informed the man, who immediately stammered his thanks. "Don't thank me. I won't kill you, but you put your filthy mark on her by tying her hands and now I'm going to leave with your several, far more permanent marks to remind you to keep you hands to yourself."

* * *

Kurama watched Shinpi approach with shock at her appearance. "Is that your blood?"

"Of course not." She sighed, running her fingers through her bangs then the rest of her hair. The act caused her robe to fall open a little as she focused on her thoughts and not her attire. "Hiei is furious."

Kurama felt color swim into his face as he learned what color her undergarments were. Clearing his throat he pulled off his sweater and offered it to her with a pointed look despite the act leaving him in a tee in the winter. Shinpi only then seemed to fully understand that she was nearly naked, it was incredibly cold and that she had worn lingerie meant to entice her partner. Blushing she hurriedly accepted the garment and tugged it over her head.

"I should call this in." She decided looking around at the huddled masses around her. Blinking, she looked at the groups of men who were still there. "Kurama?"

"Hiei rounded them up. He said it would give him something to do while he waited for you." Kurama explained. "Thoughtful of him. It'll help your case, at least."

"How angry do you think he is?" She asked, picking at her lip worriedly with her teeth. "He looked dangerous."

"He was decidedly aggravated." Kurama offered gently. "He didn't like you throwing yourself into danger without consulting with anyone. I told him you only did this because you knew he'd have your back. It didn't seem to help."

"Thank you all the same." Shinpi rubbed her arms. "I don't understand why he's angry, I do dangerous things all the time for work. So does he."

"He wasn't furious when we got here. Just annoyed. Something else must have-" Kurama stopped talking, grabbing her hand so he could shove the sleeve of his sweater up her arm to study the rope burns. For a breath he said nothing but when he looked at her Shinpi felt another shock of recognition at the emotion playing through those brazen emerald eyes. Sucking her breath she held it. Kurama's cool fingers tightened just barely. "How did you get these?"

"They tied my hands together." Shinpi explained.

"And you let them."

It wasn't a question, it was an accusation and it sent Shinpi down into her shoulders. "Yes. I let them. I had questions and if I didn't-"

"You take too many risks! What if they had decided to apply energy binds? What if they had the inhibitor? You were setting yourself up to be hurt Hichi. This was irresponsible." Kurama laid into her quietly, but firmly. "You are far too smart to fall prey to such obvious tactics."

"It was a calculated risk." She defended herself quietly. "You and Hiei need to have more faith-"

"I have all the faith in the world in you," Kurama cut her off darkly. "Don't you dare suggest otherwise Amon-Shinpi." She winced at the use of her full name. "This is why Hiei is furious with you. Because yet again you chose to allow yourself to be limited in some capacity as though you're infallible. Do you have any idea what we would have done if something had happened to you?"

"Nothing was going to happen. I had it under control. There have been rumors about this ring in the underground and none of those rumors suggested such things. The SDF and I have been trying to pin them down for a while. Tonight was just stroke of luck." Shinpi looked down at where Kurama still held onto her. It didn't hurt. She could have pulled away. "I didn't plan to do this tonight, but I couldn't just walk away."

Kurama's other hand came up to cup her cheek, his expression still firm and cool, but his thumb smoothed over her cheek. He let her arm go and pulled his hand back to himself seconds before Hiei appeared next to them.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." Shinpi offered readily to him. "Kurama just laid into me about my mistakes. I hadn't thought about how it would appear to you."

Hiei looked her over then shoved her clothes into her hands without a word. He turned to Kurama and gestured to his jean pocket. "You'll need to contact Spirit World. Someone left her communicator at home."

Shinpi just nodded and trudged away to find a semi-private place to change back into her outfit. Hiei only glanced her way once her back was toward him, and then he swept his attention over the grounds. Heat rolled off him to the point that Kurama actually stepped closer to him to stave off winter air.

"You're coddling her again." Hiei accused quietly, turning to assess his friend after Kurama placed the call to Koenma.

"Not this time. She was in the wrong." Kurama shook his head. "She didn't think this through and any number of things could have happened to her before we arrived. If you think I'm not angry at her too, you're mistaken. Allowing the enemy to capture her is one thing, but to allow them to disarm her is entirely different."

"Good." Hiei popped his neck to try to relieve the tension swirling through him.

"Are you okay?" Kurama squinted to try to pinpoint the emotion playing over Hiei's face. It wasn't his usual righteous anger.

"No. I'm not." Hiei warned him. "How could I be? Did you see her, Kurama? She took out a gang looking like _that_ and bound and I'm supposed to be okay? I'm frustrated at her lack of foresight. I'm angry with her for dragging us through this. Then she has the audacity to strut around in her bare skin and blood-stains. That really set me off."

Kurama decided it was best not to vocalize his realization that Hiei wasn't just angry, but most definitely frustrated that he was turned on and couldn't do anything about it. It wasn't something Kurama had meant to conclude.

"Why was she wearing your shirt?" Hiei asked suddenly.

"Oh. I gave it to her. I thought you might not appreciate me seeing her so exposed. Or anyone else for that matter."

"It suits her." Hiei's offhand comment surprised Kurama, who blinked. "The color and fit."

"It swallowed her." Kurama pointed out, confused. "It was practically a dress and the sleeves were far too long."

"So?" Hiei raised an eyebrow. "You don't find that attractive?"

"Girls in over sized clothing?" Kurama clarified, received a nod and then shrugged. "It's never been something I've considered much."

Shinpi emerged from the shadows in her beer-stained jeans, shoes, and Kurama's sweater still on over her shirt. She had the sleeves rolled up to reveal her hands. Kurama stared at her and felt annoyed that Hiei had a point, it did suit her. It was cute, he guessed. In that sort of generic way that girls looked cute in their boyfriend's clothes.

"Are you cold, Kurama? I thought I might borrow this for the night so I could wash it, but if you're cold I'll give it back to you." Shinpi plucked at the material clearly only offering to return the garment because she felt she needed to make the attempt.

Hiei's aura spiked again as he stared at Shinpi. Kurama glanced down at him and then smiled. "No, I'm fine actually. I think if I stand close enough to Hiei I'll be nearly sweating."

"Bastard." Hiei hissed quietly.

"I'm in good company." Kurama responded with a smile.

"Thank you both for coming with me tonight. I realize I worried you and that I should have taken more precautions. Failure just never occurred to me because I knew you were both there, waiting to help. I promise I am far more calculated and careful on my own."

"That is not comforting to me." Hiei warned her. "You should be that way no matter who is with you. I swear to god, Shinpi, if I get called back from Mukuro's because you managed to fuck up a mission by appeasing your pride I will not forgive you."

"This wasn't about pride." Shinpi frowned. "It was about information."

"Just beat it out of them next time." Hiei demanded. "Don't compromise yourself."

"He's right, actually." Kurama agreed, arms crossing in a mirror of Hiei's stance.

"One of him is bad enough, Kurama. I don't think I can compete with two of you." Shinpi offered with a sigh. "I am throughly beaten. I submit. I was wrong and I'll endeavor to never make the same mistake again. Just please stop looking at me like that."

"You're not forgiven." Hiei told her with a glare. "I should, by all right, tie you up again and fight you myself to see if you can actually hold your own."

"Sounds like it would almost be an even fight then, darling." Shinpi offered him a wry smile.

"In whose favor?" Hiei wondered quietly, dangerously.

"Still mine." She shrugged.

"You think there are lines Hiei won't cross, but I can assure you that is why we made such a good team. Those lines mean nothing to me, Amon-Shinpi." Kurama narrowed his eyes too. "If Hiei follows through with this idea I want to be included. He's not the only one who was drug through the night and then made to sit idle with worry. You owe me as well."

"A less even fight." Shinpi frowned. "I've never believed you were capable of actually hurting me before Kurama, but the look in your eyes tonight is chilling. I'd rather not put myself at your mercy. Especially if that would require me facing down your joint efforts."

"You not wanting to do it is making the idea of it more enticing, Shinpi." Hiei drawled darkly. She opened her mouth to respond but didn't as the SDF came into view.

"You were supposed to report your findings, not destroy everything in your impatience." Matsuma immediately marched up to Shinpi. "You are so impertinent. What mess am I cleaning up for you now?"

Both Kurama and Hiei bristled at the tone the man took with Shinpi.

"This wasn't planned. I was out drinking with the team-"

"You're not on a team, Amon-Shinpi." Matsuma snapped at her.

"I didn't say it was my team." She snapped back at him. "I was out, and one of the girls and her handler happened to come into the bar. I happened to speak to her. It wasn't designed to be this way, Matsuma, but the opportunity arose and I had to take it."

"You didn't have to do anything. You chose to." He corrected. "As per usual. How many casualties am I writing in, Amon-Shinpi?"

"None. I didn't kill a single one of them. Spirit World and rejoice in it's backward ideals." Shinpi sneered up at him. "Plenty of injuries though. Also, as you'll loathe to note, plenty of victims rescued. Plenty of patrons captured."

She gestured to the separate groups.

Hiei watched the exchange and then looked up to Kurama, whose jaw had grown taut with his effort to not speak. Ah, so this wasn't something Kurama had expected to see.

"I left everyone in the building in mostly working order." Shinpi declared. "Including the boss. Then I came out here and I called you. If I was the loose canon you think I am, I would have killed every man complicit in suffering in that building and I wouldn't have a said a goddamn word to you about it. Just to be clear."

"You think you're exonerating yourself, but you are only displaying the disgusting truth underneath that human mask. You're a blood thirsty mongrel." Matsuma told her, stepping closer.

"She is not!"

Matsuma lifted his head as the girl from the bar walked over, barefoot and battered. She shook with fear but still she came to stand by Shinpi, holding herself as tall as she could. Her voice trembled but still she spoke.

"This woman saved us when no one else bothered. When no one else looked. Don't you dare speak to her that way!" Asuha pointed at the towering form of Matsuma. "She risked her life for us and all she had to go one was me. I'll never forget that and I won't let you demean this woman."

"Asuha, it's alright. He's big and loud but he's generally harmless." Shinpi eased the concern of the girl. "Are you alright? I saw you working to save the others. Thank you for doing that for me. Without you they may not have made it out safely. The guards were trying to usher people back to their rooms."

"Women protect women." Asuha told her quietly, turning to her with tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much."

She threw her thin arms around Shinpi's neck and held her close for a moment. Shinpi hesitated before returning the embrace with gentleness. The look she cast at Matsuma over Asuha's shoulder was anything but warm though. It warned him to speak again. Dared him even.

"The SDF will take you all somewhere safe to make sure you're healed and they'll work to find your homes. I'm certain your families will be overjoyed to have you all back." Shinpi smiled softly at the girl. "If they hassle you, please ask for me. I will come to help."

"Are they really safe?" Asuha asked quietly.

"Yes. They are." Shinpi assured her. When the girl walked away toward the group of huddled women, Shinpi turned back to Matsuma who watched with tightly pressed lips. "If anything happens to those girls in your care I hope you know what'll happen to you."

"Threatening me?" He demanded hotly.

"Promising you." She corrected. "Hate me all you want, Matsuma, but those girls have been through enough without the SDF mistreating them. They someone's daughters, sisters, mothers, friends. They are living and real and they will not be revictimized by you or your underlings. This is not a discussion."

He stiffened but then he looked over at the crying faces and nodded. "They've been through enough. We'll make sure they get home and that the guilty face their punishment."

"Good." Shinpi pulled back and resettled herself. "I want an interrogation with the boss, if you find him. He didn't escape but I couldn't seem to locate him before I left."

"Is that so?" He allowed his suspicion to color his stare.

"Cowards hide, Matsuma. I'm not perfect, I can't find everyone all the time." Shinpi narrowed her eyes. Then she straightened. "Call me if you find him. I'm tired and hungry. I want to go home."

"Were those two involved?" Matsuma turned to look Hiei and Kurama over.

"They followed me here. Kurama helped the girls. Hiei rounded up the fleeing patrons. They left the dirty work to me. They know the rules and my job. They know I'm responsible for whatever happens on my cases." Shinpi told him with all the confidence of a woman who wasn't covering for her lover.

"Out of obligation I have to ask, did you sustain any injuries?" He rolled his eyes.

"Yes, actually." Shinpi pushed up her sleeves to reveal the marks on her skin. "I was overpowered and my hands were tied together. I wasn't even able to use my Infinity Chain to defend myself. I had only my wits and my energy to work with. No weapons. Did I mention that I was stripped to my undergarments and put into a robe before I was tied? Because I was. Kurama and Hiei can both attest to that. I changed back into my actual clothes out here."

Matsuma examined Hiei with heavy scrutiny. "You said you were overpowered? But your little accomplice over there did nothing?"

"Hiei trusts in my ability to handle my own business. If he worried about me at that level do you think he'd leave for such long spells?" Shinpi challenged. "He knows what I'm capable of. I'd go so far as to say that his only concern would have been that I wouldn't have shown enough restraint."

"That is, generally, a concern." Hiei allowed, evenly.

Shinpi's statement irked him none the less. She made it sound like he didn't worry over her when he was gone. Did she think that to be true? Did she sincerely believe he stayed away so long because he didn't concern himself with her well being? Tonight was rife with issues for him to address. Like Shinpi, he just wanted to go home.

"Anything else?" She asked coarsely.

"I'll follow up later." Matsuma assured her. "Leave the rest to us."

She nodded before walking over to the two men waiting on. "Are we going?"

"Yes. Because if I listen to him speak to you for another minute I'm going to carve his tongue out." Hiei nodded sharply, turning on heel to go.

"Agreed." Kurama frowned, waiting for her to join him. "Hiei likes that sweater on you."

"Does he?" Shinpi asked with subdued happiness. "Well at least he likes something about me at the moment."

"He's right to be angry with you." Kurama kept his voice low as he spoke to her while they walked behind Hiei. "But you also know that he would do anything for you."

"Almost anything." Shinpi allowed with a smile. "Anything is such a big word."

"Anything." Kurama repeated firmly. "I've never seen Hiei care about someone as openly and as deeply as he cares for you, Hichi."

"Back to Hichi? Has your anger dissolved so quickly?" Shinpi asked him tersely. "I quite dislike the sound of my full name on your tongue, I would like to keep it out of your mouth entirely."

Kurama lifted a brow at her, then rolled his eyes.

"Amon-Shinpi Takani is your full name. I merely used your first."

"You sound like my mother and father when they would harangue me for misbehaving, using my first name in anger that way. No one ever uses it in pleasure or in fun. It is always in anger." She complained quietly. "Just once I'd appreciate it if someone would call me by name with warmth."

Kurama exhaled with effort, then he reached out and took her hand with this chilly fingers weaving between hers. With warmth and gentleness he told her, "Amon-Shinpi, you are an exalted woman, but Hiei is right to his anger. And I am right to mine. But that does not mean we care any less for you."

"So close." She sighed, attempting to pull her hand away. "Soft tones and holding hands does not forgive the truth in your words, Kurama."

He did not let her go. "Hiei will figure out how to handle his emotions."

"Honestly if what it takes to earn back both of your warmths is to bind my hands and prostrate myself before you then so be it. At least then I'll have my two favorite men on my side again." Shinpi didn't return the squeeze Kurama offered to her fingers.

"We are always on your side." Kurama lowered his voice again to be gentler.

"I can almost assure you that Hiei won't allow me to touch him for several days. He might sleep at my side, eat with me, travel with me, but he won't allow me to get close. He never does when he's angry like this." She explained, once again attempting to pull free of Kurama's hold only to be denied by him. "And you're just as angry. Yours is more bitter to me because you hide it under your well meaning touch and gentle tone, but I saw your eyes Kurama and you are just as full of fury."

Kurama did not, at all, like that Shinpi could see through him so thoroughly. He'd been trying to hide his reaction, trying to vocalize his feelings instead of showing them.

It was as Hiei had described to him a few times: Shinpi heard what they didn't say.

"I might as well save myself the trouble." Shinpi muttered. Her voice grew louder. "I can't wait to go to sleep tonight. I'm so tired and all I want is to sprawl out in my bed unencumbered. It's been a long night."

Kurama watched Hiei miss a step. The fire demon glanced their way. His voice didn't carry but his lips formed the question, "Unencumbered?"

Shinpi didn't seem to notice.

"I'm hungry." Shinpi announced, her stomach growling. This time she didn't give Kurama the chance to keep hold of her hand before pulling out of his grip. "I'm going to find somewhere to eat. You two go on without me."

"There's food at the house." Hiei told her. "Kurama bought bento boxes for us."

"I'm not in the mood for bento. I'll be home later." Shinpi ducked her chin down so that her bangs covered her eyes. "You two get home safe. Hiei, you should see Kurama's new apartment. It's lovely."

And then she was gone.

Hiei stared at the spot where she'd been standing before slowly turning his attention to Kurama. "What the hell was that?"

"Unfortunately that was what I was talking about earlier. Shinpi told me she knew you wouldn't be warm toward her for several days and that she knew I was angry too and then she did what she does best." Kurama pushed his bangs up.

"Pulled a tactical retreat." Hiei frowned. "You're cold."

"Naturally. I hadn't meant to walk this far without my sweater." Kurama nodded.

Hiei walked over to him and stood roughly a half foot away. "I'll take you home before I hunt her down."

"Maybe you should give her space." Kurama suggested. "You could spend the night at my apartment and go to her in the morning."

"No, if I actually let her sleep alone tonight she's going to think I'll never forgive her." Hiei told him. "But, she probably is actually hungry. I have time. I'll do what I used to do and sneak in through the bedroom window to slip in bed."

"You say it so blandly, but it sounds rather romantic." Kurama admitted to him with a soft chuckle. "It's like someone is describing a young adult drama to me."

"I don't care to learn what you're talking about." Hiei deadpanned. "At any rate, it's never been a romantic act. In fact it is almost always my way of sneaking in when Shinpi is angry with me for some reason."

"You two are adorable in your own way."

"Shut up Kurama."


	5. A Long Night

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting, I was out of work from 6/9-6/14 because of a medical thing and then we spent the weekend preparing for the arrival of our roommate this weekend. I really appreciate you all continuing to deal with me not being able to stick to a damn schedule. Thank you! Also thank you all for reading, following, favoriting and especially for leaving reviews even if it's just a little note saying you can't wait to read the next chapter. They all mean so much to me. I'm not going to lie, reviews really spur me into action more because it's always nice to interact with you guys even it's just reading your thoughts or suspicions or questions. And all that in mind, I have a twitter and a curiouscat if you guys ever want to hit me up with questions about writing in general, this story, head canons or anything! I'm trying to work on reader engagement so I'm trying some new things.**

**Twitter is WistfulySin and my curious cat is also WistfullySin**

* * *

Hiei sat on Shinpi's desk, having been careful to shuffle her notes and papers to the side. His boots lay on the floor as his feet perched in her hair. He could have, probably should have, come in through the front door. Instead he'd scaled the wall and pried open her window, which had required some maneuvering since she had locked it, and slipped inside. It wasn't the first time he'd done this. Not even close. Over the years this had become habit when he knew Shinpi was upset with him, or when she might have shut him out emotionally.

For a man who often claimed to be of limited emotional capacity, he certainly despised Shinpi hiding behind her walls.

The irony of that wasn't lost on him, but at the moment it also wasn't his concern.

No, his concern was the woman sleeping a short distance away. She had curled herself into a ball, as she tended to do when she was sleeping alone and in distress. At some point she'd pulled her hair back into a thick braid, the length of which lay atop the comforter. Shinpi slept soundly from his observation. If his absence bothered her, it didn't bleed into her rest. Maybe she really did need to be unencumbered. Maybe he should have accepted Kurama's offer for a place to stay. Maybe the day had been too long for both of them and they each needed their own time to work through it all.

But he didn't believe any of that, because he knew himself and he knew Shinpi and he knew _them. _

His anger had faded some, but it wasn't gone. Just on the back burner for the moment because he had so much to think about. Shinpi apparently had been dealing with quite a lot on her own. He had been under the impression that the team held her aloft, he hadn't known that they were just as stressed about her situation as he was some days. The fact Shinpi had gotten to a point to refuse to see them for several weeks meant things had been mounting for a while. She adored the team. She would do anything for them. The mere thought that she would withdraw out of anger surprised him. He needed to find a way to help her.

Before that he needed to find a way to make sure she understood how frustrated he was by her antics tonight. He didn't particularly care that she took risks for her job. They both had to, it was the nature of the beast, but she repeatedly did this. She always found a way to limit herself and then use backwards logic to justify it.

How furious would she have been to come in and see him fighting with his hands tied, stripped down, weaponless? What if he had just decided, without warning, to throw himself onto a case that could have resulted in him being taken and tortured? Shinpi never thought things through that way. She had a hard time putting herself in his shoes, which brought him around to another issue he had to mull over. Shinpi saying that he didn't worry about her. It bothered him immensely that she felt that way. This realization answered some of his earlier questions though, like why she hadn't been detailing her interpersonal issues in her letters to him. He slid off the desk silently. Even after all this time did she think he didn't care as deeply for her as she did for him? Did she think he didn't dream of coming home to her whenever he got the chance to sleep?

His chest tightened. His blood heated.

What had he done to make her feel that way? How had he failed to prove himself to her? He knew, without a doubt, that Shinpi cared about him and worried for his safety even when she didn't outright say it.

These questions, on the heels of their calm week together, stabbed at his innards. All that time alone bathed in each other's company and she had said nothing. She'd expressed no doubts. She'd asked for no compromises. Was it that she didn't feel there was a point?

He reached the side of the bed and stood there for a moment, watching Shinpi sleep still. Stripping off his shirt he tossed it on the floor not caring where it landed. He was a man at war, trapped between the desire to prove himself to her, have her prove herself to him, and the searing pang of wanting to consume her. The image of her draped in cotton, skin doused with splashes of scarlet, confidence and rage lining her muscles haunted him. Seducing him was something Shinpi excelled at infuriatingly, devastatingly, and effortlessly. It came naturally to her. She lit him up from the inside, made him weak in impossible ways. He wanted her to feel the same about him.

He needed her to feel the same about him.

She had fled from him tonight because she anticipated him being cold and angry. He was both those things, but not nearly as strongly as he'd been earlier. No, the flame inside him burned far brighter than his icy frustration. He'd make her prove herself tomorrow maybe. But tonight wasn't the time. Instead of fuming and stomping off to his room he funneled the frustration into more productive emotions so he could flip the comforter off Shinpi. He crawled onto the bed behind her, wrapping his arms around her in the ball she'd made of herself. His mouth pressed to the bare skin of her shoulder blade then trailed his mouth up the curve of her neck.

He knew he'd woken her because she held her breath when he touched her, when his hold on her tightened, his breath fanning over the sensitive skin of the side of her throat. He hadn't forgotten how she looked, decorated in blood and cotton and lace. Just the memory caused him to falter in his colder emotions as heat surged through him, forcing him closer to her as she slowly unfurled like a fern opening up to the warm spring air.

"You're still in trouble." He warned eyes half open as he appreciated the way her breath hitched at the sound of his voice. "So much trouble."

"I thought you wouldn't want to come home." Shinpi's quiet voice sounded raw.

"You thought wrong." He informed her curtly before kissing her shoulder again. "This is my home too. Why should I go anywhere else?"

"You don't have to sleep in here if you don't want to." She hugged her arms around his where he held her despite her words. "I don't want you feeling obligated."

"Obligated," Hiei hummed the word as he pressed against her from behind before delicately nipping at her earlobe, "is not exactly how I'd describe my mood."

He slid his hand from her ribs downward over the plane of her stomach, stopping just short of his goal. Shinpi inhaled slowly and held it as if waiting for him to move. He didn't.

"Hiei." She whispered his name. "Are you planning on torturing me?"

"Yes."

Shinpi gasped as he abruptly rolled her over, pinning her underneath him. Hiei pulled back so that he was on his knees straddling her waist so he could admire her. He ghosted his fingers over her lips then down her jaw, his touch only barely there as he trailed it slowly down from her throat to her navel, his eyes devouring each inch of skin he came into contact with and several that he hadn't yet touched. Every action was thoughtful, careful, guided. Designed to earn a reaction. Demanding one.

"Hiei." Shinpi arched her back slightly, lips parting. He moved his hand so his thumb could brush over her bottom lip.

"Beg all you want, it's not going to make any difference." Hiei told her, holding her gaze as he ever so slightly shook his head. "I told you, Shinpi. You're in real trouble tonight."

"What does that mean?" She swallowed and he felt it as his fingers once again trailed to her throat.

What a rush that she allowed him this. To lord over her, to move so slowly, to threaten her so gently, but especially this. There wasn't another man on the face of the planet, nor in any realm, who had the privilege of Shinpi's throat but him. Not a single one. She had claimed fingers with her teeth for men daring to even try. But for him? For him she craned her head back so he could skim his fingers over her skin, lightly press his palm against the bones. All his fingers stayed intact.

But he didn't want to push his luck. Shinpi had her limits, even with him, so he instead captured her wrists and adjusted his position to hover over her on his knees and elbows. Teasing her, he got close enough to give her a kiss but refused to actually make contact. He nipped at her lip before finally answering her.

"It means, little wolf, that I'm going to take my time with you."

* * *

"I've decided I'm going to follow through on my idea by the way."

"Tying me up to see if I can hold my own?" She guessed, still attempting to catch her breath as she pushed her sweat drenched bangs away from her face.

"Yes." Hiei's hand brushed hair from her cheeks as he sat beside her so he could once again look down at her. At least one of his frustrations had been satisfactorily resolved. It had taken a few hours but he'd persevered. "Kurama's coming too. If I don't manage to beat sense into you I know he will."

"When I saw the way you were looking at me in there all I could think was how dangerous and beautiful you looked." Shinpi told him. "I didn't realize how angry you were at first because all I saw was you roiling with energy and your eyes lit up like embers. When you pulled me closer I hoped you were going to kiss me."

"Flirting again? Perhaps I was too easy on you." Hiei warned her, his lips pulling into a devious smile.

"I'm not flirting. I'm trying to tell you something." She blinked up at him, doing her best to silently tell him she couldn't possibly stand up to another bout of his particular breed of torture. "I felt your anger after, Hiei. It radiated and I knew you were serious. I wasn't prepared for Kurama's. I don't think I've ever seen furious with me before and quite frankly the look in his eye scared me a little bit. A few weeks ago we were joking about how he couldn't beat me in a fight because he had limits while I did not. Tonight I knew, without a doubt, that something ruthless waited inside him and for the first time I thought it was waiting for me."

Hiei considered her story for a few moments. Shinpi had only seen Kurama during The Dark Tournament and then after they all met a few years ago. There was a lot about him she didn't know. He had forgotten she hadn't been there for the inbetween years. She wouldn't know how ruthless he could be, not truly, because in Hiei's opinion Kurama had been rather composed during the tournament. Efficient and calculating sure, but also naively human in many respects. She didn't know that Kurama would do what it took to get the job done because she had never needed to know. If Hiei knew her a little less he'd say that this realization must have rattled her, shaken her understanding of her close friend and maybe made her rethink how she approached him. To her Kurama was a soft presence who could hold his own but ultimately preferred keeping his hands clean.

"You're excited." Hiei told her knowingly and also a little jealously. Maybe he should have took just a little longer with Shinpi so she wouldn't be laying next to him daydreaming about getting beaten up by Kurama. Goddammit. She could at least have the decency to daydream about getting beaten up by _him_. Instead of vocalizing his thoughts he latched onto her sentiment. "You want to see if he'll follow through with what you saw."

"Yes." She agreed readily. "I'm curious to see what he'll do. Kurama has never been very interested in fighting with me before. All of our training with each other revolved around how we'd best work together, not against one another. I don't know what this side of him is like. Paint me a picture?"

"He trained Kuwabara for The Dark Tournament. Apparently I was too lenient for his tastes and he wanted to prepare him for the true brutality we'd all face if that gives you any indication what you'll be up against. Kurama and I became partners those years ago because I was determined to not make him my enemy."

"Do you think I can win?" The question made Hiei pause for a long moment as he weighed the odds.

"I don't know." He admitted as he shifted downward so he could lay next to her. Shinpi moved to her side so she could look at him as he spoke. "What I do know is that you made a critical mistake tonight and because of that you don't stand as a high chance that you might have otherwise."

"A mistake?" Shinpi questioned.

"You endangered someone Kurama cares about." Hiei informed her. "That is something he won't forgive and it something he will make you pay for dearly. I do want to tell you though, that your excitement over the prospect is making me a little jealous. Am I not enough to entertain you?"

"You are plenty." She assured him and the words came out with warmth. "No one will ever top you in my life, Hiei. This is just an interesting opportunity. A novelty."

"Good." He huffed, closing his eyes. "Now stop talking and go to sleep, it's been a long night."

"I think it's morning, actually."

As if it had been waiting for the perfect lull, Shinpi's communicator sounded off. The shrill sound made them both groan. Hiei released her so she could crawl over him to pluck the device off her dresser. Laying on his back he watched her answer.

"If you want your interrogation you need to get over here." Matsuma's annoyed tone cut through the night. "He's awake. When you get here I'd like to ask you exactly what happened to him because he has no recollection of who beat him unconscious."

"I told you I don't know." Shinpi huffed. "I'm on my way."

She clapped the mirror closed and sighed, marching to her dresser to start getting dressed. Hiei sat up with a frown. He looked at his hands with dismay.

"I'm losing my touch." He complained. There was a shifting of the air, like a breeze had blown through, and when he looked up Shinpi stood in her demonic glory. He couldn't help but rake his gaze over her. Keeping his tone even he went on. "I thought it would take longer for him to come to."

"Spirit World would have had him healed." Shinpi explained pulling on a pair of pants. Now that she had two bodies to clothe she had to keep two separate wardrobes at the ready. "I'm certain you did exactly what you meant to do. Though the fact he doesn't remember is-"

Hiei gestured to his headband with a smirk.

"-Fortunate." She finished. "I'll be back in a few hours, probably."

"We'll get back when we get back." Hiei shrugged leaving the bed to pick his shirt up from the floor. He craned his head back to look at her face now that she stood so much taller than himself.

"You don't have to come."

"Shut up and lead the way. I'm not letting you out of my sight until I can be sure you won't find even more trouble for yourself."

* * *

Hiei stood on the hidden side of a two-way mirror with his arms crossed over his chest. This was his first time sitting in on one of Shinpi's interrogations. Or watching, rather. Shinpi had been very clear that he was not to enter the room no matter what happened or what was said. Matusma closed the door behind himself and joined Hiei with a sneer. Neither of them addressed the other and they were both content with that. Inside the brightly lit room was a table and two chairs, one empty and the other occupied. The leader of the sex ring sat there, waiting, looking bruised but very much so alive. Hiei hid his annoyance. The dark bruises marring the left side of the man's face did little to make him feel better. The cast on his wrist did help a bit. So did the stitches on the man's right eyebrow.

That better scar or Hiei would come back and do it all over again until it did.

The door in the interrogation room opened, Shinpi walking in with her eyes on the file in her hands. She kept her waist-length red hair free, allowing to all over her shoulders and down her back. Back when she'd been in that body indefinitely she had kept the locks in braids and plaits decorated with leather string wraps and various metal braid rings, Hiei remembered. It had made running his fingers through difficult but it had helped keep the unruly mass contained. This time she hadn't had the opportunity to decorate the fiery strands.

He liked her hair down and wild, it spoke of her ferocity in his opinion.

Shinpi took her seat without saying a word as she continued to examine the information she held. She set the manila folder on the table with it open, revealing a white college-ruled legal pad within the file. After producing a pen she looked up finally and studied the man across from her.

"Name?"

He stiffened at her cool voice. "You have it right there in front of you."

"You'll find I'm diligent about double checking facts. It's in both of our interest for me to do so." She raised her eyebrows. "So, once more, state your name."

He didn't answer her. Shinpi continued to look him over and then made a note on her pad with a few quick strokes. His eyes followed the movement before he winced as his eyebrows attempted to come down.

That made Hiei smile, a small one, but still.

"What did you write?" He demanded.

"Do you know who I am?" She asked instead of offering him an answer. "I'm the demon they call in to get questions answered. I'm not the enemy I'm just the interpretor. I take their accounts, I take your account and I discover the truth that lies somewhere in the middle. Because it is always somewhere in the middle. Sometimes this truth means you get to go free and Spirit World is told to be a little more mindful of who they are bothering. Sometimes it means you never see the light of day again."

"And who gets to decide that?" He demanded.

"You do." She explained calmly. "What happens going forward will be the product of your truth. If you can't offer that to me then I will be forced to accept the facts that were previously presented to me," she tapped the file, "and make my decisions based on skewed and limited information."

His attention dipped down to the file as he frowned.

"Now that you seem to grasp who I am and why I'm here, I'll ask you for the last time. What is your name?"

He remained silent and Shinpi shook her head. Tutting she closed the folder with her notepad inside and rose to her feet. He watched her step toward the door and for the first time actual concern showed on his face. He glanced toward the mirror behind which Hiei and Matsuma stood. Shinpi left the room with a gentle click of the lock behind her.

"She's good at this part." Matsuma spoke through his teeth as if paying Shinpi any compliment might kill him. "Interrogations. We never used to bother with them."

"I'm aware. I was in your so called system." Hiei reminded him darkly.

Matsuma glared at him then continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "She's the one who made Koenma sign off on this ridiculous space. She wanted a home base on her turf, she said. A place where she could take demons, humans or any being and speak to them. A place where we could examine them and meet to study the facts. She wanted holding cells, multiple interrogation rooms, and two separate rooms where victims could safely wait to be spoken to without feeling like they were criminals too. That's the only reason this little makeshift police station exists."

"Obviously you think this is a waste of time." Hiei noted with a tone so dry it reduced the moisture in the air.

"At first." Matsuma allowed. "But it's been effective. She's been able to gather more information, verifiable, this way than we were able to for years. She may be a mongrel but she's not stupid."

"Call her a mongrel again." Hiei's fist tightened under his arm as he turned his glower on Matsuma.

"And if I do?" The other man questioned. "Will you beat me as savagely as you did that fool?"

"I don't know anything about that idiot. Keep pressing me, Matsuma. I'm not afraid of you."

"No, but I bet you'd like for that woman to keep her standing with Spirit World. If she doesn't her existence in this world might become suspect. Whose to say."

Hiei's temper flared to the point it broiled around him. "Do not hold Shinpi accountable for my actions."

"That's not up to me. That rule comes from someone higher. And she accepted it." Matsuma smiled then and it was vicious. "So, tell me again what you'll do if I call mongrel?"

Hiei took a step toward him and had to pull back. He shouldn't have come here. Maybe this was why Shinpi had told him to stay behind. Is this the level of harassment she dealt with day to day with these ingrates? He was positively seething. Threatening Shinpi's place in Human World was low. This was her home now and while Hiei didn't always understand it he did respect it. If she were forced into exile, unable to live here peacefully then she'd lose everything she'd built. Her home, her career, her relationships with the team. But this also meant that Hiei had to watch himself more. He hadn't been aware that for two years his actions could be counted against Shinpi's good behavior.

The door to the interrogation room opened suddenly and Shinpi returned with the file tucked under her arm as she carried a trap bearing two cups of coffee, sugar, and cream. With care she placed the tray on the tabletop, taking a mug for herself as she reclaimed her seat. Studiously she added a bit of cream and two cubes of sugar, stirring the lightened coffee with a plastic spoon.

"Do you drink coffee?" She asked the man across from her.

"I'm not going to tell you anything." He spoke with a sneer. "And I definitely know better than to drink or touch anything in a police station."

"I'm not after a genetic profile." She assured him. "We already have your blood for that. And I have your fingerprints."

She held up a paper for him to see that she was telling the truth. "Then what's with the coffee?"

"It's getting late and I figured you might want some." Shinpi shrugged. "Would you prefer tea or water?"

"I'll take some sake."

"No."

"I thought you were trying to be nice to me."

"I am, but alcohol with taint your memory and your answers."

He looked her over again as if truly seeing her for the first time. It took a few quiet minutes of his staring for him to reach any sort of decision about her if his face was anything to go by. What he gleaned from her unusual hair and eyes and her navy pantsuit with her white blouse underneath he didn't vocalize. Instead he slowly reached forward to take the cup of coffee. With a start he yanked his hand back as Shinpi tapped it with her pen, his eyes wide with alarm despite the contact being brief and gentle. Then Shinpi laughed and removed the mug from the tray for him, gesturing to the inclusions.

"Forgive me for having a touch of fun. It has been a very long night." She apologized.

He offered a partial, unsure laugh and nod as he began to drink his coffee black. Then the expression shifted and fell as he watched her make another note in her pad. "What are you writing?"

"I'm documenting that I hit your hand with my pen and it startled you. In case you'd like to file a grievance later." Her hand stopped moving as she looked up at him. "Would you like to speak to someone about filing a grievance?"

"Over that? No. That's ridiculous. You barely touched me." He scoffed. "Has that happened before?"

"Once. Yes. That is why I document such behaviors now." She flashed him a quick, professional smile before it faded back into her gentle veneer of neutrality. "How is the coffee?"

"It's fine." He loosened up his posture some, shaking out his shoulders. "Do they always send you in here alone?"

"I work best this way." She assured him. "Other people are distractions, for both of us. I prefer to focus solely on my questions and the answers provided. That is difficult to do if there is someone else in the room who may be impacting the delivery or quality of information I receive."

"I meant it more as in you're a lovely woman and it seems odd that with all the men around they wouldn't want to keep you safe. There are bad men in the world, Miss Interrogator. You shouldn't expose yourself to them."

"Your concern is noted." She taped a few words she'd scribbled. "Right there."

He snorted a laugh and once again looked her over. Then he nodded. "My name is Goro."

"Surname?"

"I don't have one."

She nodded and circled his name on his profile printout. "Perfect, thank you."

"Is this the part where you ask me if I'm guilty?" He wondered casually, growing lax in his posture. His chin tipped up with confidence as he spoke, his feet sliding apart to widen the space between his knees while his back remained straight.

"No. This is the part where I ask you to describe your night." Shinpi moved her pen to the legal pad, astutely aware of the changes in the man across from her. She wrote another note in her home tongue. That was her way of protecting her notes as very few demons outside of Sayol could even speak Sayolian Gaelic, much fewer could read it. "I am particularly interested in the situation that occurred around ten-twenty this evening but you may begin as early as you'd like."

"You're talking about that feral woman attacking me." He surmised and she nodded once. "What did she say happened?"

"Her account is unimportant. We are talking about yours. If I were to give you details of her report then you might change how you describe events in an effort to exonerate yourself."

"Right. The less distractions and influences the better."

"Correct. Do you mind beginning?"

"It was a usual day for me. I operate a business and that requires constant attention. Making sure the girls are doing their jobs. Making sure the patrons are playing by the rules."

"Rules of conduct?" Shinpi asked for clarification. "Could you explain what those are to me?"

"Cash upfront. They have to undergo a quick examination by the girl of their choice before anything moves forward. I can't have my girls getting sick because someone's hygiene isn't up to par. No leaving marks on the girls. No fighting other patrons. No bringing the authorities into my business." Goro sneered then, rolling his eyes. "That idiot Kano apparently didn't get the memo since he's the one who brought that woman in."

"Okay, so you were conducting your usual business when-Kano, correct? Good. Thank you.-Kano brought in a woman you weren't familiar with. How did she get there?"

"I assume he found her somewhere." Goro tightened then, eyes tensing at the corners. "I don't recruit anyone. I leave that to the underlings. They go out, they find willing participants, and they bring them to me for examination and processing."

"So you are not involved with or aware of the way these women come to be in your care." Shinpi tapped the tip of her pen against her legal pad as she looked over at him. Still her face was that practiced, professional neutral mask that hinted at none of her internal thoughts. Which was good because she was sure this idiot was lying to cover his own ass.

"No, I am not." Goro agreed with her firmly. "I didn't get a chance to speak to him about it in detail. All he told me was that he found a new girl and that he was going to bring her to my office so I could look her over."

"I see. You mentioned an examination, what does that entail?" Shinpi went back to writing notes as he talked, looking up from time to time to impress the fact she was indeed listening to him.

"We examine the newcomers to be sure they are healthy and fit for service. Just as we protect them from the patrons we have to protect the patrons from a soiled product." Goro shrugged.

Shinpi nodded while keeping her frustration pinned in her chest. This role was difficult to play through for her but it was one she excelled at. Having two forms was beneficial in moments like this where she could pretend to be someone completely different to earn the trust of someone she had already met. This had changed their interrogation game. An emotionally removed third party was easier for people to talk to than the woman who had put them in the hot seat in the first place. Once they saw her temper is was hard to backpedal and play nice.

Excelling at something and it being easy were two very different things though and every interrogation forced her to dig deep into her reserves.

It took another hour before she felt satisfied with leaving the room, her notes in tow. Matsuma met her in the hall.

"Well?"

"Well what?" She glared at him.

"Was this a waste of time or not? Did you get another lead?"

She stared at him for several seconds before slamming her folder closed and rolling her eyes. Utilizing every last fiber of self-control remaining intact after the events of the night she cooled herself enough to look up at him.

"We saved so many lives tonight." She informed him calmly. "We caught a real bad man and he is waiting for justice. Your justice, not mine. Bureaucracy. So no, Matsuma, this was not a waste of time. No, it wasn't connected to the inhibitor but that's not the only thing that matters."

"It's what we are supposed to be working on." He reminded her harshly.

"Matsuma." Shinpi shook her head and looked at him, filled with exhaustion and more patience than she knew she had. "Tonight you helped save those girls from a life of pain and horror and abuse. You helped do that. All the hours you've put into this case aren't wasted just because it didn't offer the results you were hoping. This is a good deed and there is more to the world than Enma's orders."

He pulled back from her a little, obviously unsure how to respond to her.

"Submit your report to Koenma." He told her awkwardly before marching away.

Shinpi made her way to the room adjacent to the interrogation cell, finding Hiei still there watching Goro from behind the glass with his arms crossed and his eyes unfocused.

"Could you see me?" He asked her, distracted.

"What?" Shinpi frowned. "It's two way glass, I'm not supposed to see you."

"No. Not tonight. When you were put in that cell in Spirit World after telling me your name. Could you see me?" He turned to her, the answer obviously important to him. "You kept looking directly at me and I kept thinking, she's watching me not the other way around. Is that true?"

"I knew you were there." She nodded. "I knew you would be. You wanted answers. I was actually surprised when they hadn't sent you in to do all the questioning. I thought, if he gets in here I am as good as dead because that man will not be swayed by me."

"Knowing I would be watching doesn't explain the fact you kept looking right at me." He pressed.

"That's true. It doesn't. Here's the thing about mirrors though, Hiei." Shinpi smiled at him. "If you put something exuding heat near one for too long, it's going to start to fog up."

He stared at her for several seconds.

"I knew where you were standing because you couldn't control your temper. You gave yourself away but I was the only one who noticed." She shrugged. "Not one of you bothered looking back through the glass from my side. You were all too intent on watching me. A bit careless of all of you."

"You taunted me knowing that if I got in there with you you'd die?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Even from the beginning Hiei I couldn't help but pluck at your strings. I knew how much trouble I'd be in if I told you my name but I had to because god, I wanted that moment so bad. I wanted you to know that I had beaten you before you were even aware you were in the game."

"Was it worth it?"

"I would do it a hundred times over."

"I'm glad." Hiei paced closer to her, then stopped so he could look up into her eyes. "If it hadn't been for that moment of hubris then we might not have gotten to where we are now."

"Can I kiss you?" She breathed the question gently, with a small smile.

Hiei's cheeks darkened just a bit as he looked away. "You're at work, Shinpi. Any Spirit World idiot could walk in here."

"Okay." She nodded, accepting his blushing dismissal. "Just know that I wanted to."

He glanced at her, then twisted his body her way. He made a quick 'get on with it' gesture and Shinpi ducked down to press her mouth to his. It wasn't long or deep but it was a kiss and Hiei still managed to shirk into his shoulders once it was done. It never ceased to amaze her that the same man who could so thoroughly express his desires through his actions could also blush at the idea of public affection. She didn't imagine that would change anytime soon so even this small gesture meant the world to her.

"Are you done?" He asked gruffly, doing his best to cover for his moment of softness.

"Yes. I'll write my report later. I'm ready to go sleep, finally. I can get at least a few hours before Hai shows up."

"The raven is coming?"

"Of course, we have a schedule to keep Hiei. Mukuro may let you run rampant and do as you please but I demand a little more routine from my informants."

"Are you sure you want to complain about Mukuro letting me do whatever I please? Because I'm certain I could propose a stricter schedule to her if that's what you really want. I can revolve my entire life around her needs and wishes." Hiei scoffed.

"You can make all the fun you want Hiei, but that is generally how these things work. Mukuro does grant you an extraordinary amount of freedom. You should appreciate her trust in you." Shinpi edged closer to him as they walked.

Shinpi meant her words. She certainly appreciated Mukuro's flexibility when it came to Hiei. She wondered, if Hayato had ever requested it, if she would have been so forgiving with his schedule. It was nice to think she would have been. In fact, she was quite sure that if he had ever requested that she allow him space to be with his lover or start a family that she would have celebrated with him. One of her great hopes even now was that one day Hayato would find someone truly worthy of the strange pedestal he held her on. A partner to adore and honor for the rest of his life. That's all she really wanted for him.

Happiness.

Like what she had with Hiei.

Her eyes moved to study her partner and she couldn't hide her warm smile. Her brash decision to out herself three years ago had really been one of the best impulse decisions of her lives. It had led her to the team, to Hiei, back to Hayato, to victory over Hiro. It had given her a new life. All because she had a smart mouth and Hiei had a short fuse. Giggling to herself she shook her head, not sure how to respond to Hiei's quizzical glance.

* * *

Hiei perched on the back of the couch, elbows on his bent knees as he listened to Hayato run through what updates he had to offer Shinpi, who sat in the easy chair with a particularly well fed raven in her lap, her fingers stroking ever so gently over it's feathers. Hiei had never seen a bird be pet before and he kept glancing her way because it was an odd sight but it surprised him less in the context of Shinpi. Now, if he'd seen Yusuke or Kurama cuddling a bird he'd have questions and heavy suspicions. This honestly just seemed par for the course for his woman. In a wandering thought he considered that if he saw Yukina lovingly tending to a bird he'd actually have no questions. That's just how she was.

How strange that Shinpi could share that softness when the other side of her was impressively dangerous.

The bird turned it's head and stared at Hiei with black eyes then slowly tilted it's head to the side as though it were studying him. Hiei sneered slightly and leaned away.

He didn't like that, not one bit.

Meanwhile Shinpi listened raptly to her own little bird, posture presenting as relaxed but an underlying thread of tension could be seen if one knew where to look.

"I haven't been able to locate a source for recruitment. Their numbers are increasing but there doesn't seem to be an active effort to draw supporters." Hayato finished, frowning. "I've visited as many tentative allies as I could, but none of them report unusual activity. They are, however, concerned over the inhibitor seemingly being distributed. There have been cases of demons being immobilized and then killed."

Shinpi nodded without offering input.

Hiei glanced her way to see if she was going to react to the news but she didn't. He turned his attention back to Hayato.

"In other news, Sayol is stabilizing. The chieftains are working together fairly well. Acting without a king has been a challenge for them to overcome but you were right, they have adapted." Hayato's expression shifted to pointed accusation. "However, I think it should be noted that by having a counsel of so many separate leaders one might expect conflict to arise. There is always the possibility that the territory will end up splitting into factions instead of continuing to be a cohesive unit."

Shinpi cocked her head just slightly to the right. "Then I suppose that's an issue they'll have to address when it arises, hmm?"

Hayato outright glared at her.

Hiei watched the exchange with pursed lips.

The raven had been trying for two years to get Shinpi to retake her rightful place as the king of Sayol and for two years she had staunchly refused. _"The crown is too heavy for a single being to wear. It is burden best shared by many." _Still he tried, persisting. It was a sore topic to say the list. Shinpi had long considered herself a failed leader when it came to her people and having it repeatedly demanded of her to take a throne she didn't want to sit in chafed her. Worse was that she felt the people wouldn't have her.

And if there was one thing Shinpi loved enough to protect even from herself, it was her people.

Hiei didn't agree with Hayato on this matter, he never had. Shinpi didn't want to be a king and therefore she shouldn't be. He also didn't agree with Shinpi. Sayol had belonged to Hiro for so long that he couldn't believe that they were people any longer. She hadn't been back since defeating her ex-husband, slaying him in a field of mud mixed with blood, rain, and the fallen luminescent petals from Aishling's reborn branches. Shinpi had stayed in Sayol to help create a plan for the future of her homeland, meeting with the chieftains of the individual cities and areas, declaring them the leaders now. When the question had been raised of her becoming king she had dismissed the notion with no room for argument.

"_I have stolen enough from you. I have no right to assume I have what it takes to lead. It is now up to you to support your people, to do what is best for them, to answer to them. Sayol will see no more kings if you do your jobs well, which I firmly believe you will. I hope you will all come together to see to the future of this land, and when conflict arises, I hope that you find the merit of thorough discussion before deciding on a course of action. Elevate yourselves from the position of advisers to the king. Your people are depending on you now moreso than any time in the past. You have faced war, faced the tumultuous passing of one king to another to another to another. You have seen where we have failed you. You alone know the details of what your people need. Do not allow doubt to keep you from finding strength in this change. If you rise to this challenge Sayol will grow in ways none of us have ever thought to see."_

"There are those that miss your leadership." Hayato pressed tersely. "Some think you should have ascended."

"Rose colored glasses romanticize the past, but they do not change the truth."

"Amon-Shinpi." He sighed and Hiei snorted quietly in humor. Pulling out her full name was a sign of frustration he had also taken to using. "What if what is right for Sayol is you?"

"You're too close to this, Hai." She always responded to Hayato's use of her full name with her pet name for him, as though to undermine his frustration with her own. "Examine this from the outside with a clear head. I destroyed part of Aishling and do not even remember it. I killed countless of our citizens in the name of revenge against Hiro. Not once, but twice. I murdered their beloved king without remorse. If that is what is right for Sayol then I would greatly prefer they follow the wrong path."

"You do love seeing yourself as a villian, don't you?" Hiei shot the jibe at her with annoyance. "That ugly mentality cannot be helpful to you."

She raised her eyebrows at his comment, clicking her tongue once. The sound caused the raven in her lap to turn it's face toward hers.

"You ended a war against an opponent few others could have fought back. You struck a treaty with Alaric. You killed Hiro to end the reign of a greedy, blood-thirsty narcissist." Hayato told her. "How can you just not list your grand accomplishments?"

"Even monsters can do good, look at Hiro. Sayol flourished under him."

Both Hiei and Hayato sighed heavily.

"This attitude is boring." Hiei announced, slipping from the couch. He directed himself toward the kitchen. "It is by far my least favorite trait of yours."

"We'll discuss that later." Shinpi's tone finally broke into something other than even-keeled. Her words were tainted with cold frustration.

"Unlikely." Hiei muttered, walking passed her.

"As much as I hate saying this, he is right." Hayato told her gesturing toward the kitchen. "You view your suffering as punishment but I cannot think of a single thing you've done to earn such retribution."

"Would you like a list? I'm sure I have one written somewhere."

"You're impossible."

"Yet you continue to meet me head on. I would say of the two of us that makes you the stubborn one."

That earned a bark of a laugh from the kitchen, which caused both parties to glare in Hiei's general direction.

"Sayol doesn't need me to succeed and if I were to go back, how would they ever learn that?" Shinpi questioned but before anyone could answer her she changed topics. "I think we should consider that the inhibitor is being tested for a larger purpose. There would be no reason to produce such high quantities if it weren't going to be used on a mass scale."

"Your theory?"

"I think someone is going to try to overthrow a government. If they can manage to take away the physical powers of all demons in a region then those who continue to be able to access their energy would be able to ascend. In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king, yes? Continuing to destroy the reserves we find is the best we can do at the moment to avoid this fate. If we can manage to capture one of the perpetrators and question them, perhaps we'll learn more, but as of now we can only work under educated assumptions."

"Your basis for this?" Hiei came to lean against the kitchen doorway to eye her with a sandwich in his hand.

"I put myself in the shoes of this mastermind. I have this tool, which is incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands and could be used to subdue even S-class demons, what can I do with it? Of course the first thing is to test it on the small scale. Then, once I confirm that it works I create more of it. It's an ingenious weapon." At this statement she offered a wistful sigh, thinking of the sample of the base powder she had received more than two years before. She still hadn't deciphered the ingredients. "And now it's a weapon powerful beings are searching for. I need plenty of it and I need to spread it out so they can't destroy it all at once. I'm playing the long game, and I won't be foiled. I now have the power to do whatever I want to do and in theory, no one can stop me. I could bring the world to it's knees. So I begin recruiting the disenfranchised, because the frustrated masses are just dying for someone to speak to them, and I convince them I'm going to change things. I claim we are going to take out the king. Then, I take steps to make that happen."

Hiei took a bite of his sandwich while she spoke and while chewing he gestured toward her loosely with the food. "You seem certain of this."

"It's what I would do." Shinpi waved a hand through the air. "Granted, not everyone thinks the way I do but given what we've seen over the last few years I think my theory has some merit. I've been piecing it together slowly through all our small discoveries."

"What's your take on the camps?"

"They're distractions." Hayato announced, turning to stare at Shinpi with soft surprise. "Bait. A small victory to keep everyone occupied so they don't have time to seek out the real threat."

"Theoretically." Shinpi shrugged. "I could be wrong, of course."

"Have you discussed this with the others?" Hiei pried, curious.

"Kurama and I have bounced ideas off one another, yes. Why, do you need to know they approve before you back this?" She raised an eyebrow and Hiei just offered her a tired look.

"How did I become the enemy in this?" He demanded quietly. "I was just asking a question. I haven't earned your suspicion."

Shinpi frowned as she turned to study the bird in her lap. It took a moment but she finally told him, "You're right. I'm in my head about all of this. It's frustrating having nothing to work with."

"This is about Yomi, isn't it?" A voice broke through the brief silence and everyone turned to watch Kurama walk into the living room. He eyed the bird with some distaste then moved to sit on the couch. Hayato was the only one who seemed to question his sudden appearance.

"Do you just allow everyone to waltz in here?" Hayato questioned Shinpi, annoyed.

"No. Sometimes I have them tango or even foxtrot." Shinpi responded with a smile.

"You used to care about security and privacy."

"And now I care that my friends feel comfortable in my home." She didn't waver with her smile. "Which reminds me, you'll be spending the night."

"Actually I was going to-"

"Dinner has already been decided Hai. You'll stay the night to relax and recuperate. You've been working hard as my eyes. Not to mention you constantly bounce between Hiei and myself, something I endlessly appreciate." Shinpi's smile grew warmer, the genuine nature of it crinkling around her cobalt eyes. "This isn't up for debate, my friend."

"Don't change the subject. What is this about Yomi?" Hiei honed in on Kurama, his gaze demanding.

"I visited with him recently to ask about any troubles with these camps and when I approached him with Hichi's theory he dismissed it for the lack of proof. Not entirely prudent of him, I'll admit, but without any evidence it's hard to garner support." Kurama sighed heavily, shaking out his hair. "Though, to be fair he isn't familiar with the Takani family, so he has very little context for Amon-Shinpi and her wild theories."

"That's why I sent his former adviser to discuss it." Shinpi pouted. "I was hoping it would have more clout coming from you."

"He's always been stubborn." Kurama grinned at her. "I suppose this will have to just blow up in his face for him to understand it."

"Gandara is a formidable land, it would be a strong foothold." Shinpi once again fell into thought as she stroked the fluffy raven in her hold. "Then again, Yomi isn't a fool. He is prepared and strong himself. It would be difficult to catch him off guard from what I know of him through secondhand accounts. In order to disable him, one would have to get close and I doubt he'd allow that from someone devoid of his trust. I suppose, given that, he's likely going to be able to maintain control. Alright. Even if he doesn't believe me at this point, it's doubtful it'll be an issue for him."

Hiei watched her with humor. Listening to her spout her thoughts rapid fire as they entered her brain was a rarity, but he enjoyed it. He'd been inside her head during this process before and it could be dizzying how quickly she assessed issues and came to conclusions. But out loud? He found it impossibly endearing, especially when it was something she was muttering quickly to herself.

"You'll stay for dinner too." Shinpi lifted her head, done with her tangent for the moment. She focused on Kurama. "Obviously. You came so late in the day."

"Is there time to cook?" He frowned at her. "There are suddenly four mouths to feed instead of two."

"Oh, Kurama, come now. You underestimate me." Shinpi flashed a brilliant smile and he offered a soft laugh in response.

"She was prepared for you showing up." Hiei smirked. "Don't let her fool you. She's had food cooking for most of the day in that slow cooker of hers."

"Don't go spilling my secrets darling." She winked at him, tone teasing. "You're supposed to be my confidant."

"Always." He assured her. "But I also enjoy proving you wrong when I can."

"Meager victories that come sparingly." She assured him.

"Oh, but still so sweet on my tongue." He offered a grin. The expression turned dark. "And while we eat Kurama and I can discuss the logistics of how we're going to tie you up and show you just how weak you really are."


	6. Fox Hunt

**A/N: Another heinously late chapter, and I'm very sorry. I really am trying to stay on schedule. We were in NYC this past weekend so my husband for compete in a tournament for a video game (he won!). It was an adventure for sure! I've never been in NYC before and I'd love to go back sometime. Anyway, I'm sorry this late.**

* * *

Hayato warily studied Shinpi as they stood walked the grounds of Genkai's temple together. They were side by side, as they should be in his opinion, discussing details of what had happened a few nights before. Shinpi wore a thinner jacket than the weather called for, so he had a wing wrapped around her to shield her from the bitter air as best he could. Hiei's comment during their debriefing of the situation in Demon World had irked the raven to the point of him losing sleep, eventually trudging up the stairs to knock on Shinpi's bedroom door only to be greeted by the fire demon's insidious and pointed warning to go the hell back down to the couch. Now, Hayato knew they slept together. He knew this was a real relationship with all the things that would entail: adoration, patience, arguments, sarcasm, fondness, and physical contact. He knew a lot of things. He'd seen Shinpi, the only person in the world he actually cared about in any way that mattered, in relationships before. But what he had not needed to know was what Hiei looked like in Shinpi's cotton robe at the two in the morning, the garment only closed by the strictest definition of the word.

Needless to say that his questions had gone unanswered at that moment as he had suddenly lost all interest in pursuing any form of conversation with anyone as he processed through this trauma, turning silently to descend the stairs and reclaim his sleepless post on the couch wondering if human dish soap was a strong enough astringent to cleanse his eyes and mind.

Over the last few days, between then and this trip to the distant estate of the elderly psychic, Hayato had closely watched Shinpi and Hiei interact and how she handled her days. He had made it a pointed habit to keep as much of an eye on her as possible, especially around her new boytoy. From all his surveillance, Hiei seemed to genuinely care for her. He went out of his way to make time to see her. Still, Hayato had a hard time just believing in the inherent trust his leader had in the man.

He had seen Shinpi in relationships before.

He refused to allow one to kill her again.

Hiei could be as caring and gentle and honest as he wanted to be, but it would not so quickly convince Hayato that he was on their side. Hiro had been charming and kind too. Hiro had looked at Shinpi sometimes like she was a dream. Hiro had slept beside her, held her, laughed with her, and he had helped raised her son. Hiro had looked Hayato in his eyes and thanked him for looking after his wife.

Hiro had been a goddamn liar.

For all Hayato cared, Hiei was one too and it was only a matter of time before they found him out.

If at all possible he wanted to spare Shinpi that news. He wanted Hiei to be what she hoped he was. Hiei wasn't his favorite demon, not by a long shot, but he did have certain qualities that were desirable. His willingness to go into battle for Shinpi was toward the top of the list. His arrogance was toward the bottom. Shinpi cared for him though. With her heart and soul she adored that stubborn, agitating little man and therefore it was Hayato duty to ensure that Hiei never let her down. Never hurt her.

He had failed to protect her from Hiro. He had failed to save Kin. He hadn't been strong enough, smart enough, thorough enough. He had lost his family when Hiro turned on them, breaking him so badly it nearly killed him. When he'd woken to see the state of Kin, the ruin of the castle, the darkened sky…

If it hadn't been for him and his blind trust in Shinpi's judgment maybe none of this would have ever come to pass.

A mistake he would never make again. This led him back around to why he was here on the sprawling property in the first place instead of back in Makai doing reconnaissance. He enjoyed the extra time with his oldest friend. Also she was an idiot and had agreed to fight not one but two high-class demons with her hands tied presumably behind her back.

"This is a bad idea." Hayato grumbled.

"I've never had a single bad idea in my life." Shinpi rolled her eyes. "Also, this wasn't even my idea. It was Hiei's."

"Perfect, so the temperamental, power hungry, arrogant man who has you wrapped around his finger just decided he wanted to tie you up and make you face not just him but also his closest ally, a man who rivals your intelligence and deftness, and you just said 'yeah, sounds like a good time'." He stopped walking so he could throw his hands through the air while speaking, irritation lining his face, his tone edging toward total exasperation.

Shinpi took the moment to pick a few pieces of lint and leaves from his tunic then focused on his hair which hung loose for once. Her fingers plucked up a few strands for her to examine, her lips pursing.

"Are you even listening to me?" He demanded.

"Of course. Something something bad idea. Something something your dislike and distrust of Hiei. Something something you think Kurama is smarter than me." She surmised, earning a tired huff from him. "Your hair is dry. I'll wash it for you tonight so I can treat it properly. You've always had such lovely hair. Maybe I can plait it for you again."

He softened considerably. "It's been a while, actually. I'd enjoy that."

"You worry me Hai, you don't take care of yourself. Your tunic is a mess, your hair is tired, your eyes have more baggage than the cargo hold of an airplane. Are you drinking enough water? Eating enough? You'll stick around for a few days so I can make sure you are packed properly." She fussed. "I need you alive Hai, you're all the family I have left."

"You are such a hypocrite." He frowned. "Do you even listen to yourself? You obviously hadn't sleep when I arrived. You've lost weight again."

"But my hair is healthy." She pointed out, grinning at him with a wink. "And I moisturize everyday. Keeps me young."

"You know what else keeps you young? Dying at a young age. Which you'll do again if you don't start taking more precautions." He warned her. "I can't lose you again, Hichi. I won't survive it."

"Your concerns are heard, Hai. In fact that's why we're here. Hiei and Kurama feel the same way."

"Explain yourself." He was dubious. Highly skeptical. It showed on his face apparently because yet again she rolled her eyes, this time crossing her arms over her chest still using the top hand to gesture loosely.

"The other night after Hiei and I got back from our vacation we went out for drinks with the guys." She started.

"What did Yusuke goad you into this time?" He deadpanned.

"No this wasn't his doing. This was all me." Shinpi sighed, squinting away from him. "There was a girl and she was obviously in trouble. Long story short I got myself intentionally kidnapped by a demon trafficker so I could destroy him and his accomplices in an effort to free the girls they'd stolen. In the process, I may have allowed the leader to tie my hands together and I guess, maybe, I sort of didn't bother freeing myself as I took on the building. Hiei wasn't impressed."

"Wow." Hayato stared at her dully, not sure his body could physically handle being anymore exhausted with this than he already was. He needed a nap.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I won." She shrugged. "I don't understand the fuss, honestly."

"Of course you don't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shinpi whipped her head around to glare at him. "I was in control of the whole situation."

"Right, right. Because you can account for literally every single possible scenario." He nodded. Then he forced a thoughtful look. "Did you have your mask?"

"You know I didn't. I was in a bar, I can't just keep it on me all the time." She told him. "It draws attention I don't want."

"Did you have your knives?" He wondered.

"No. I was with the guys, I had no need for them. I had my chain."

"Did you use it?"

A pregnant pause answered him. Shinpi began to stiffen under his interrogation, especially when he nodded as he clicked his tongue.

"So you went into an enemy stronghold half-cocked, basically unarmed, with no armor or mask then allowed them to give you an extra disadvantage by limiting your movements. I can't imagine why the people who care for you might be upset by this." Hayato laid into her with a tone absent of venom. She hated casual lambasting the most of all the sorts, so that's what he did. He noticed she winced slightly. "There's more isn't there?"

"I was stripped of my clothes." She closed her eyes and made a face.

"_Mhac na galla_." Hayato looked up to the sky for patience. "It is truly a miracle you've managed to live this long."

"I mean, if you want to get technical about that I di-"

"If you finish that sentence I'm going to punch you square in the nose." He warned her darkly. "I don't need the reminder. You don't take enough precautions. It's like you don't care sometimes."

"I care all the time." Shinpi stiffened again. "Everything I do is because I care. Watch your accusations _ean beag.__"_

He shook his head, lips pursed at the old nickname. "If I had pulled that stunt you would have laid into me until you were lightheaded. You would have been furious. I hate agreeing with that little imp but he is right about this. You have whatever he does to you coming."

"Goddamn that horse must so tired of carrying all three of you on it's back." Shinpi declared, tossing her hands into the air. "Did you all sit down to have a meeting about how to yell at me? I had it under control!"

"You are not invincible!" He yelled back.

"I never said I was! I know I have flaws, okay? What else was I supposed to do? She needed help and I was there. I had to do something!" Shinpi slid her feet apart to stand her ground. "No one else was doing anything!"

"Did you even bother asking for help?" He demanded and Shinpi's teeth audibly clacked when her jaw snapped closed. Hayato shook his head, sending his black hair shivering. "This has always been your problem, Hichi. You always have to be the hero, you never think about asking for help. One day that's going to lead you into something you can't handle."

"I told you, I had it under control. The SDF and I had been looking for that operation for months. I had some intel. I wasn't completely blind."

"Did it ever occur to you that they knew you might be coming for them?" He asked sharply. "Try as hard as you do, Hichi, you don't know for sure your presence is a secret. You don't know who might know about you. What if they had rigged the building with traps? What if there was some form a gaseous attack? What if they had guns? You know what your father would tell you."

Shinpi swallowed and rolled one shoulder as the hairs on her nape rose. Hiei was watched her, probably close by which meant Kurama was there too. They could probably hear everything. The last thing she wanted was to give either of them more ammunition to guilt her with.

"Hai-"

"He would say what he always said when you tested his patience like this. _It is foolish-__"_

"_-to forget half the board belongs to your opponent." _Shinpi finished, sunken into her shoulders her anger deflated. "Fine. I hear you. I hear you. I hear all of you."

"That doesn't mean you're getting out of getting your ass kicked." Hiei announced from beside Hayato, who jumped at the sudden intrusion.

"Agreed." Kurama nodded from Hayato's other side, earning a wild look from the raven who hadn't heard either man approach and quite frankly did not enjoy knowing they could sneak up on him. He glanced at Shinpi and she looked unsurprised by their unnerving appearance. The fox wore his hair up in a high ponytail, only his bangs in his face. A thick sweatshirt covered his arms as defense against the cold.

"Oh good, the gang's all here. Maybe you should join us." Shinpi looked at Hayato. "You all seem to be on the same wavelength right now. Three against one."

"I'd rather watch from the sidelines." Hayato's dark brown eyes shifted to glance at Hiei who stood in his cloak and scarf. "Just in case things go too far."

"Nothing will happen to our darling Hichi except for some considerable bruising to her ego." Kurama smiled with false kindness. "The intention isn't to harm, Hayato. It's merely to deal the final blows of the lesson you just started hammering into her."

Shinpi squinted at him, assessing the fox then wrinkled her nose and shrugged. Kurama tilted his head, his smile fading some. His agitation and concern glinted over his expression and she swallowed at the sight of it. She looked desperately uncomfortable under his attention, moreso than that of either of the others. Perhaps she sincerely wasn't used to his ire.

He wondered if he'd ever been this frustrated with her before.

Running off to battle Hiro without telling them had infuriated him but he'd managed to hide it and by the time the fight was over he was too overwhelmed with relief and sadness for her that he couldn't maintain any other emotions. Was there any other time? He didn't think so. That also made him realize Shinpi had a very distant awareness of his cool temper. Hiei burned hot and bright and loud and furious. Kurama though, he burned like ice. Sharp, biting, encompassing and unrelenting. It didn't just consume, it encased. A fire would kill you with pain, and relatively quickly, but ice? Ice took it's time, the cold cut through everything you had and destroyed you system by system.

She'd understand after this though. He would make sure of that. The truth was, the stunt itself was annoying but it was her defense of herself and her recklessness that was spurring him into action. If she had just accepted the admonishments and the concern he'd have cooled off. Hiei would have too. But her adamants that she was right and they were the bad guys for calling her out on her behavior had been too much. He was tired of it. He spent a considerable amount of energy worrying about her well-being and her safety, sometimes piecing her back together when she bit off more than she could chew. If she couldn't understand them on this then they'd just have to make her.

Kurama had no intention of actually harming Shinpi, none at all. Instead he hoped to merely put the fear of god into her so that she understood she could be outmatched. All he wanted was to know she would slow down and think clearly before going into a dangerous situation. Of course, Hayato was also right, it would be nice if she just asked for help too.

"Are you two planning on just standing there staring at me all day or is one of you going to tie my hands together so I can prove that you're all overreacting?" Shinpi raised her eyebrows. "We haven't got all day."

"You seem to be under the impression that you get to be in charge of this, but that's not the game." Kurama narrowed his gaze on her. He watched her pull her shoulders back slightly as she eyed him. "We start when Hiei and I decide it's time."

"You're sour again today." She accused quietly.

Kurama was almost gleeful that she hated him being so upset with her. She could shoulder Hiei's frustration with only mild discomfort most of the time, but she obviously greatly disliked being on the receiving end of his attitude. Normally they got along so well, were so close. It must sting her, having him act this way. But that was good. It meant she would take this lesson to heart.

"I haven't forgiven you yet." He told her coolly.

That rattled her, parting her lips as she assessed him quickly and with visible concern. Her eyes darted to Hiei.

"Kurama." Hiei drawled his name evenly but Kurama knew it was a prompt. That was interesting. Hiei's arms moved to cross over his chest as he closed his eyes. It seemed to Kurama that Hiei was just as uncomfortable with him being upset with Shinpi as she was. More interesting than his discomfort was the fact that Kurama knew that Hiei was giving him the lead.

It had been too long since they'd been at each other's side this way but it all came back naturally. Kurama was a little sorry for the circumstances because he would have liked to fight alongside Hiei and Shinpi both. At least he and his old friend, while out of practice, could quickly fall back into step with one another.

"You're right." Kurama nodded. "The fun isn't in waiting but in winning. Why don't you do the honors, Hiei?"

"I figured you'd want to."

"I'll double check."

"That seems about right."

"You two are making me nervous." Shinpi scowled at them, but she still extended her arms to Hiei when he approached with a length of rope. Her eyes followed the careful movements of his hands as he tied her wrists together. Yanking, he made sure the knot would hold. Lifting his face so she could see the glimmer in his eye Hiei offered her a dangerous smile.

"I'd feel bad for you if you didn't have this coming." He told her, tilting his head. "Don't forget that I warned you."

"Your petty attempt at intimidation isn't going to work on me." She stared back, her expression eroding into crafted neutrality.

"Maybe not." Hiei shrugged. Then his teeth flashed in a quick, harsh smile. "But his will."

Shinpi barely had time to process the claim before she threw herself backwards, rolling over the ground to pop back to her feet. Kurama stood where she'd previously been, his attention on her cold and calculating. Her pulse immediately jumped, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. Despite the warning sings, the sirens in her head, her body's desire to flee she couldn't help but smile wild and amazed. The energy rolling off of the two of them was unlike anything she'd beheld before. Hiei alone had always boasted such an impressive aura but now with Kurama beside him exuding just as much menace and power, it was nearly dizzying. A few years ago she would have fled. There would have been no hope of her winning against the pair.

Lucky for her she had grown too much to feel such unnecessary dread.

"Are you sure you should be smiling?" Hiei's voice sounded from behind her, breath ghosting over her ear. She twirled around only to find air where his heat had been.

Taking the opening he gave her Shinpi listened to her instincts and ducked as a leg swung over her head courtesy of Kurama. Arching back she narrowly avoided Hiei's punch. She had no chance to gain the offensive as she danced between them, avoiding their blows with hardly any room to breath. They worked together seamlessly and Shinpi wondered why they didn't do this more often. What kept them from pairing up this way? They were formidable together and quite frankly more than a little frightening.

She was in heaven.

This was the best training session she'd had in ages. Kurama was just as lithe and coordinated as she was, and when she moved he moved with her. They were two currents swirling together to create a dangerous eddy. Hiei flowed with Kurama just somehow against him. As the fox pulled her in, herding her, Hiei struck out and attempted to keep her under. A marvelous, vicious dance.

"Most beings have the sense to be afraid by now." Kurama chastised as he spun around her, leg coming out low to sweep her feet from under her.

Shinpi managed to avoid crashing to the ground, instead throwing herself forward into a roll so she could spring up. A mistake as she was immediately struck by Hiei who had been waiting for her. The hit made her stumble to the side, blinking after retaliating with an instinctual kick to his sternum.

"I'm not most beings." Shinpi shot back at Kurama, twirling away as he produced his whip and lashed toward her with it.

She needed to remember her notes. Before she'd met the boys she had been studious in writing everything she knew about them and she'd kept those notes updated ever since. This situation was new to her but the men weren't. She knew them. Hiei was the one who would box her in. Kurama preferred keeping a distance, using his whip to cut through his opponents. He wasn't a grappler. The fox would keep forcing her toward Hiei and allow him to do the dirty work. Kurama would keep her from getting too far. He knew her style, and he would know how to counter it. Kurama didn't have as much experience on the receiving end of her techniques but he had seen many of them.

What to do, what to do?

What were they going to do next? Which way were they trying to push her? How could she best fend them off? She needed a moment to gather herself, to think, to breathe.

Hiei lunged toward her and she swept herself away but he followed, predicting her movements as she had expected him too. They moved around one another in a practiced dance that normally made them an excellent team. Twisting around, her leg in the air to kick at his head, Shinpi felt the oppressive lash of energy announcing Kurama behind her. The distraction allowed Hiei to capture her ankle, a smirk on his face.

"Still feeling cocky?" He asked, humored. "If you beg I might let you get out of this."

Her response was to tip her head slightly to the side, eyebrow cocked and then shove her bound hands toward him, a ball of air flying from her palms into Hiei's chest, spilling him backwards to the ground. In an acrobatic escape that flipped her to the side without her hands, Shinpi narrowly escaped Kurama's whip, but the crack of it so close to her head hurt her ears. Eying him she noted the stern set of his mouth. She walked backwards to keep them both in sight, eyes narrowed. Kurama watched her, glanced to Hiei, then back to her and chuckled to himself.

"So clever." He told her, shaking his head.

"Coming from you that feels like an awful threatening compliment." Shinpi took another half step back.

Hayato watched from his previous post, having been the only one not to move into the fray. He took in all the movements and he was surprised to see how his oldest, dearest friend was behaving. The other two didn't seem to place her behavior, maybe they weren't familiar enough with it to call it by name. He had known that woman for most their lives and he could read her like a book even when neither of them wanted him to and right now he knew, without a doubt, she was viscerally wary of her opponent. She was seeing something in Kurama that called for her wits and caution.

It had been a long time since he'd last seen her back away from anyone or anything.

His instinct to join her had to be fought down, which meant he crossed his hands over his chest to hide his balled fists. He had to let her experience this. She had to learn. She had to fail.

Shinpi flitted back as Kurama advanced on her, her teeth grinding together. Kurama ducked down and Hiei jumped over his shoulder. She allowed him to persist, parrying his blows hit for hit. Hiei stepped forward, and then stopped his assault as his foot squished in the damp grass. He looked down and then swore, shoving himself back into Kurama as Shinpi grinned. She stood ankle deep in the swamp water they'd wandered into and allowed it to coil up her legs like trained snakes. She didn't flinch at the frigid temperature of the water because she didn't want them to know she couldn't hold it for very long.

"A whip for a whip." She winked at Kurama before spin-kick outward, sending the tendril of water directly at his face.

Kurama jerked back, feeling the sting of a cut on the very tip of his nose. Wild eyed he stared at Shinpi who looked too proud of herself. A bubble of truly prideful fury rose in his chest at the insult of getting caught up in her attack. The anger was toward himself, for not seeing it coming. For being too slow.

"Brat." Hiei hissed at her, keeping himself back.

Kurama sank to his knees to dig his fingers down into the soft earth, a few sharp seeds in his hold, and shoved his energy down into them. The demonic plant rushed underground and Shinpi offered a startled call when it erupted underneath her, a cage of branches threading around her. Shinpi sounded a profanity at them both as Kurama rose to his feet, sweat already beading on his brow.

"I'll go in, you back me up." Hiei kept his voice down. "That won't hold her long."

"She expects you to rush her." Kurama argued quietly.

"True. But you're out of practice and if we want her to lose we have to play to our strengths." Hiei smirked, pulling his sword free of it's hold.

Kurama would have loved to argue but he couldn't. Which only fed into his agitation. This was just another reminder that he'd let everyone else surpass him. He had to get better. He watched, decently impressed, as the vegetative cage started to dry out, water bubbling up to the surface of the branches and then rising into the air. Hiei threw himself over Kurama, rolling them both across the ground to avoid the barrage of water-bullets as Shinpi burst free of her holding. She stood glaring at them in the tattered remains of the plant. Stepping out of it she managed a few steps toward them before Hiei pried himself off of Kurama and launched himself at her, blade out and swinging. Water gathered in pools under the fox and before he fully grasped what was happening, ropes of it coiled around his ankles and wrists, yanking him down to the ground. With Kurama temporarily out of the picture Shinpi was able to focus solely on dodging the sword and getting in close to her partner, dipping under his arms and spinning around his back with grace. Hiei grabbed her by the shirtfront, dragging her close. She headbutted him in return, kneed the outside of his thigh then slammed her clasped hands across his face. As he staggered she moved behind him, throwing her arms around his throat and pulling back, pressing her knee against his spine as she put pressure on his windpipe.

Kurama took advantage of her distraction, feeling her icy water-chains slack and burst out of them to erupt into the fight, lashing out with his whip. Shinpi cried out when it struck her arm. Hiei thrust back with his sword angling up in an attempt to impale her, narrowly missing as she shoved him away from her, disarming him in the process. Hiei panted, reaching up to wipe the blood from under his nose. The look in his eyes could have chilled the sun, but Shinpi didn't seem to care. She shifted her weight foot to foot. Then she spun a kick, a cut of air biting against Kurama's ribs to knock him down but decidedly not breaking the skin. Diving across the ground at the same time that Hiei lunged she only managed to nab his sword by a fraction of a second, delicately pressing the tip against the hollow of his throat. Then to the side of his neck. Then tapped the left side of his chest.

"Dead." She declared. "Thoroughly stabbed with his own weapon. A bloody mess, but still somehow smiling as though the monster who killed him was the most alluring creature he'd ever seen."

"She's all yours." Hiei sat on the grass and then laid back with a smile on his face, arms behind his head as he watched Kurama's whip pull the sword from Shinpi's normally firm grasp and fling it several meters away. "Better run little wolf, you've upset him."

"Damn you both." Shinpi huffed and then took off toward the tree line for cover. The wind cycled around her shifting directions to hide her scent. Kurama's nose was as delicate as hers but she had ways of fooling it.

Panting, she found a group of trees to call a hideaway for a moment. Her breath misted into existence. This should be easier, it was just her versus Kurama now. Sure, she was in the forest but that didn't necessarily give him an advantage. He didn't routinely manipulate plants outside of his creation. He could do it, but he often didn't which made her assume it took more energy. He would want to conserve as much as possible. He had already been slowing down by the time she'd taken on Hiei, his reflexes too slow to dodge the water that held him down. She could use that.

Her stamina was as high as ever, though she had to admit this was taking a toll on her. Her legs would certainly be sore tomorrow after all the abuse today.

Okay, think. What was Kurama going to do? Look for her. Sense her out. She didn't have much time before he found her, she couldn't keep the wind moving all the time without giving herself away and she was sweating which meant she smelled more strongly than usual. Dammit. How to best challenge Kurama.

She could do this.

A branch broke to her left and she glanced toward it without moving, tensing in preparation for diving out of the way. Another on her right. Dammit. He was trying to lure her out.

Ambush predator.

"You look shaken." Kurama voice proclaimed as he dropped down on her from above. Shinpi snarled as he landed in a crouch over her, her body aching from the sudden impact. "Did I startle you?"

"Not at all." She shoved a foot against his hip and listed him to the side so she could roll away to her knees. Before she found her feet he cracked his whip at her, causing her to fall backwards to avoid getting hit. An idea blossoming, Shinpi accepted the next blow that bit into her shoulder. Crying out she arched her back in pain. "Kurama wait-"

"That might work on Hiei, but not on me. I know how hard I hit you." Kurama pulled his arm back and lashed out again as she swore, forcing herself to her feet and to the side to avoid the next blow. "You can't garner my pity, Amon-Shinpi."

Her chest warmed at his words despite her heavy frustration. "You're really immune to my tricks, aren't you?"

"They were mine long before they were yours." He informed her. "I've had centuries more time to manipulate and deceive."

"I find persistence and dedication often outweigh time." Shinpi explained with indifference. "I may not have as much experience but I did manage to fool even you."

"Times have changed and so have you. You can't fool me anymore." Kurama warned her. "I know you too well now."

"We all have our secrets, Kurama. You can't know everything." She spread her feet and hunkered down slightly. "It wouldn't be interesting otherwise."

He supposed she was right, he couldn't know everything. She certainly didn't know everything about him. There things he'd never tell her, never show her, never admit to even if tortured. It was only fair to assume she was the same. He didn't particularly enjoy thinking about it though so he chose not to.

Shinpi rushed forward, launching herself to tackle Kurama into the trunk of a tree that shook heavily in response. She was glad that it hadn't snowed in the fast few days, otherwise she might be drenched by now. It was already cold enough with her soaked socks and shoes. She might freeze into her shoes. It would be nice for this to end soon. The fox's breath rushed out of his lungs with a hiss upon impact and for a moment she thought she'd managed to stun him. Grabbing his shoulders she spun him around and threw her arms around his neck, attempting to maneuver him into a chokehold. Instead she only managed to find herself thrown to the ground roughly. When she got up again, she roundhouse kicked him, then spun and slammed her foot down attempting to force him back. He caught her ankle and threw her to the ground once more. Frustrated, she stood up and found him waiting for her. It was all she could do to just keep him from landing any serious blows.

This wasn't right. Kurama didn't fight this way. He didn't throw punches, he didn't overwhelm his opponent with brawn. Her back hit the tree once again and she growled, ready to slam forward when he produced a rose and jammed it above her head, embedding it into the trunk. Grappling with her he gained control of her arms and forced the rope binding her wrists over the the deliberately placed protrusion.

It left her prone, her hands raised and the rest of her relatively defenseless as she struggled to hide the signs of her exertion.

What the hell had just happened?

Had…had she actually lost?

"You're breathing heavy." Shinpi shifted, controlling her own breathing as best she could as she pressed back into the tree Kurama had pinned her against. Kurama glared at her in distrust of her muted excitement. "Don't be embarrassed dearest, I have that effect on even the sternest of men."

"Don't act cute." He warned her. Annoyed she was aware of his exhaustion and more frustrated it was there to begin with.

"You sound like Hiei." She teased. "Are you going to finish this?"

Kurama tensed. The stem of his rose held her hands above her head but he didn't want to chance her weaseling her way to freedom because he was quickly losing the energy to drag this out so he blocked her legs with his own, bringing his body closer to hers. Glaring down at her smug face he tried to battle a litany of thoughts and instincts.

_Don__'t let her win this_.

"I will." He assured her.

"You've lost your gusto." Shinpi accused gently, her smile and body softening. "You really can't do it, can you? You can't hurt me. You've been antagonistic but you've also been pulling your punches. Even your whip lacked the bite I've seen you muster before, it had no thorns, broke no skin."

"I can. I would just rather not." Kurama wanted to beg her not to push this, not to push him. He wasn't feeling all that in control of himself. All of this hunting, fighting, pursuit had roused his baser instincts.

Hiei was out there somewhere, probably watching. Waiting. He had to stay in control of himself. He had to pull back. For so many reason he had to end this. But for so many more he didn't want to. He had slept next to Shinpi, he had braided her hair, held her when she was injured, lounged with her and yet this felt like the closest he'd ever actually gotten to her. Like he had finally broken through some barrier surrounding her placing himself inside her stronghold. He'd never, not once, seen this look in her eyes before and he wanted to devour it so no one else would see it but him. That awful, alluring mixture of exhaustion, pride and hunger. Not for him, he knew it wasn't for him, not really at least, but for their thrilling fight. He had earned something today, something that likely didn't rightly belong to him.

And he wanted to keep it, like the thief he was.

His fingers raised to graze from her temple down her jaw, his cold expression forced but necessary. Shinpi seemed to believe the lie. Her throat moved and he watched it, part of him—that dark buried part he never, ever allowed her to see—howled in victory knowing he had her right where he wanted her, trapped and waiting for him to move. Nails lightly followed the vein on the side of her throat before he looked back into her eyes. He shouldn't have.

Where was Hiei?

Why hadn't he come to stop him by now?

Or Hayato for that matter?

Didn't anyone care he had her alone out here, defenseless, at his mercy?

Why was it always him who had to be the one in control? Why couldn't someone else come and take the control from him for once?

His fingers curled into a fist against the bark of the tree where his hand rested near Shinpi's side. Locking his jaw he hoped he looked angry. Ready to hurt. To kill. Anything other than what he actually felt.

She could never see it. He wouldn't let her.

Never.

That was his vow to himself and without Shinpi knowing it, to her too.

Never let her see his weakness in this.

"I've never seen your eyes shine like this before." Shinpi tilted her head curiously, speaking quietly as she studied him with too keen an interest. Squinting she seemed to realize something. "Your jawline is stronger than I thought. I've never really noticed before. Yusuke always says you look soft but you don't really, do you? With your hair down it hides your edges but there they are for me to see."

"This isn't the time for idle chitchat, Amon-Shinpi. You're in trouble. I have you captured. Fight me off." Kurama demanded harshly. "That's the whole point isn't it? For you to prove you can get out of this."

His anger mounted suddenly, replacing the emotions he shoved elsewhere. It rushed in to fill the void left behind. Kurama bared his teeth, leaning over her small frame.

Shinpi looked up at him then glanced down as his fingers ensnared her throat. When she swallowed again he felt it. That dangerous, dark, despicable part of him once again had to be beaten down.

"You're bluffing." She declared, raising an eyebrow.

"I literally have my hands around your throat."

"Hand. Singular. Who ever heard of being strangled with one hand?"

"It's almost like you want me to hurt you." He growled at her. "Defend yourself!"

"Now you really do sound like Hiei." She relaxed against the trunk. "I wonder if this is the same tree he strangled me against. The entire time he was on me about not defending myself."

Kurama blinked. "What?"

"It was our first real fight, I think. After the sewer escapade. I scared him and he retaliated in earnest." She shrugged. "He choked me unconscious. I hadn't meant to startle him so badly, it was like he could feel that I was thinking about killing him. I wasn't going to, of course, but the thought crossed my mind."

"I remember the aftermath." Kurama thought back. "I think that's when Hiei really started to fall for you. He was so enamored with that moment, so lost in it. He wanted you to do it again."

"I'm glad I left an impression."

"You're so infuriating." Kurama hissed. "All of this is to teach you to rely on us. To know your own limits and instead I'm the one stopping! Can't you at least pretend to-"

"Kurama." Shinpi looked up at him, but he didn't really see her expression. He was lost in his frustration with himself and with her.

"Just pretend to have a little humility. All I want to hear is that you know you aren't always the most intelligent or or the most capable! I just want you to admit you need us!"

"Kura-"

"For gods sake, Amon-Shinpi, just call for me!" His chest heaved with the words, his breathing unsteady. When he looked into her eyes he saw her pupils had shrunken down to pinpoints, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she attempted to remain as still as possible.

Vines and plants had sprung to life from his hair and the ground, encasing her legs and arms having crawled over his back and over his own appendages. The rose above her head had extended into a vine, wrapped around her throat with the thorns cutting into her skin. Part of the vine rested against her cheek, a thorn dangerously close to her eye. Shinpi trembled slightly, mouth open just a bit. The plants stopped growing as soon as Kurama realized what was happening.

"I yield. You win. I can't get out of this." Shinpi spoke as well as she could with her throat constricted. "Kurama, I give up."

"I win. That is a sweet thing to hear." He tried to laugh but it came out stunted because he had not meant for this to happen.

He had to reel himself in.

"Can you gloat later? Get me out of this mess." Shinpi fussed, blinking up at him, her voice far from steady. "You've made your point."

Finding his opportunity to pull back and regain himself, Kurama offered her a slick smile. "Oh, have I? I don't know. I feel like maybe it would serve you right to be left like this a while."

"Don't you dare." She warned him darkly.

"I might." He tossed his head back and forth. This was helping. This was clearing the air in his head. "How long do you think it would take you to untangle yourself?"

"Kurama." She spoke his name in a low growl. "Release me."

"I'll get around to it." He flashed her a grin and it was genuine because he was actually enjoying this moment. She was back to her obstinate self and he was back to his senses.

"I'm going to destroy you."

"It's so adorable you think that." He teased, stepping back. "You just yielded and I didn't even have to wound you."

"You yielded?" Hiei questioned with heavy amusement, his voice announcing his appearance in the tree above them. He smirked down at Shinpi. "That's embarrassing."

"Tell him to release me." Shinpi craned her head back and the thorns drew beads of blood there they cut into her throat. "This is uncomfortable."

"I think you should ask him nicely. He's the one who cornered you. Don't you tell me all the time to stop making demands and to try to be a little sweeter with my words?" Hiei perched on his branch languidly, checking his nails. "You're his prey. I'm just the ghost haunting you both because some wild wolf killed me off."

"You're not funny." Shinpi grumbled.

"I like his idea. I think you should ask me nicely." Kurama agreed, not bothering to hide his smug satisfaction.

"You two need to stop agreeing so much. It's been nothing but trouble for me lately." Shinpi complained bitterly.

"This is only a fraction of the grief the two of you have caused me over the years." Hiei let her know with a huff.

"I like to think I'm generally impartial." Kurama defended with a smile. "I take the side of facts."

"Is that your little petname for her now?" Hiei wondered dully. "Are you planning on holding her here all day? I'm getting hungry and bored."

"She still hasn't asked to be released."

"She's hoping you'll forget and just let her go." Hiei rolled his head and then hopped down to stand at his friend's side. "She's like that."

Shinpi took the moment to appreciate them as they bantered at her expense. She didn't regularly get to see the two of them being so chummy these days. It was lovely and she wished they would do it more. Kurama brought out a different side of Hiei, something sharper and more amused than most of the others. They looked so relaxed, at ease with the world around them. Riding the high of an earned victory no doubt.

The sound of heavy wings beating preluded Hayato's arrival, the soft thud of his feet making contact with the ground barely rousing Hiei and Kurama from their conversation. Brandishing the short sword he seldom used, Hayato freed Shinpi from the plants in a few strokes with a decidedly sour expression before replacing the weapon in it's sheath on his hip.

"Thank you. I thought they were going to leave me there for days." Shinpi rubbed at her new rope burns. "Absolute devils, the both of them."

"You're bleeding." Hayato told her, gently dabbing at her throat with his fingertips. "Why would you allow them to push you so far?"

"I didn't. Kurama bested me. Next time I'll get him back." Shinpi moved her hand to her neck and rolled her lips. "Exhilarating fight still. Actually I would say losing made it even more exciting than it would have been otherwise."

Hayato frowned then glared at the two men over her head. While maintaining eye contact he allowed his energy to rise into his hand, his palm covering the wounds on her throat. Through that act of healing her he continued to stare at Kurama and Hiei, who stared back with dull expressions.

"Thank you little bird, that feels much better." Shinpi stretched her arms and rolled her shoulder, then frowned as she rubbed it. "I thought I'd overcome that injury. How strange."

"Your shoulder?" Hiei asked, walking over to her. With some disguised concern he placed his hand on the sore spot, allowing his elevated body heat to seep into the muscle. "Was it the position?"

"No. It was hurting earlier too." She allowed him to massage the muscle. "Like it used to when you watched me. Curious."

Hayato rolled his eyes. "Don't come in now pretending to be soft, Hiei. You just watched your friend brutalize her."

"So did you." Hiei shot back at him. "I'm not soft. I never pretend to be."

"I didn't mean to truly injure you." Kurama fretted rushing over. "We should get you inside so we can ice it."

Shinpi laughed at their concern, not to be bitter, just because it made her appreciate them. Even still, she brushed Hiei's hands off of her. "Hayato will take it from here boys. We have a date planned anyway. You two can compare notes about what a brilliant opponent I am."

"You lost." Hiei reminded her.

"But not without hubris. Your point has been made. Next time there's even the hint that I'll be outmatched I'll ask someone to join me." She waved her hand through the air.

Hayato smugly accepted her touch as she looped her arm around his, pulling him to walk beside her. Hiei watched them go, as did Kurama. Both of them with similar looks of disdain. Then Kurama frowned, watching as Hayato slipped his hand down Shinpi's arm, a soft glow arising as he healed her rope burns.

"You lost control." Hiei spoke evenly once his wolf and her bird were out of range. His attention shifted fully to Kurama. "I almost stepped in."

"I knew you were watching." Kurama sighed, pushing his fingers through his bangs, resting the heel of his palm against the bridge of his nose. "I don't know what happened. I just kept getting angrier. She wasn't taking anything seriously."

"I'm not complaining, I'm just surprised." Hiei explained. "It's a rarity. I suppose though, I shouldn't be shocked she was the one to break you. Even when you're winning against her it always feels like she has you exactly where she wants you."

Kurama was going to disagree but decided not to bother. The truth would be too honest and he wasn't in the mood for that sort of thing. Instead he followed as Hiei started to walk. There was no point in rocking the boat and it technically wasn't lying if he wasn't the one talking anyway.


	7. Four Demons Walk Into A Temple

_A/N: So, I really like the song It Will Come Back by Hozier for this chapter and just in general. Just so you all know. Also I've apparently given up on sticking to my 1st and 15th schedule. I'm trying to get back on it but the universe is rife with mysteries so we'll see how that goes. Thank you guys for reading, for your continued support and for your reviews. They mean the world to me and the feedback is always lovely to hear. I'm trying to spruce up my playlists on Spotify so if any of you have song recs for this fic or just in general hit me up (PM me or in a review, doesn't matter. Get me some tunes bb). _

_I had the privilege of helping review some scenes for RoseEyes recently and they really inspired me to slow down my writing and really try to think about how I'm portraying things. She is gifted at showing not telling and I felt like her work pushed me to examine my style and flesh things out more. I haven't read all of her stuff but she's a cool person and from what I've seen a pretty damn gifted writer so maybe go check her stories out._

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The bath in the temple was large and communal. It didn't often matter to anyone because it was rare that more than one person ever needed to bathe at once, and if they did it was almost never two people who couldn't bathe together for whatever reason. Genkai didn't particularly care what anyone did as long as they weren't loud or destructive. Most of the this meant that the girls would bathe in a group if they were all there together, or sometimes it meant that everyone bathed on their own. Today it meant that Hayato sat in the mineral clouded water while Shinpi combed through his hair snipping at split ends as she found them with a pair of hair cutting scissors. She had donned her robe and took up station behind him, her legs on either side of his torso with her feet in the water as he leaned against the edge of the sunken bath. She sang softly to herself during the grooming, the steam of the bath water rose to cloud the room and offset the sense of reality just enough that Hayato wondered if this was somehow a dream.

"I've missed this." He hummed, content with his life and this moment. The weeks on the road gathering intel were hard but small reprieves like this one kept the exhaustion from becoming overwhelming.

"I know." Shinpi stopped singing to answer him, the comb coming to stillness. She set it down beside her and began to work her fingers through the oil-slick dark strands. Hayato's hair had a particular beauty to it that most didn't appreciate in her opinion. Like his raven feathers, his hair wasn't a true black but something that glistened with dark rainbows when hit by light. It was a trait entirely his own, something she had never seen in any other demon. Even with his wings hidden in his skin like intricately detailed tattoos, the feathers held a particularly otherworldly sheen that human tattoo artists would never be able to capture.

Hayato had always been far more beautiful than he'd ever realized. He'd always been too busy helping her to ever slow down and appreciate himself. She wondered why, in her absence, he hadn't moved on with his life. Why hadn't he learned to put himself first finally? Or had he and her reappearance had merely thrown that new skill to the wind?

Working his hair into plaits, Shinpi continued without voicing her questions. "I wish we were able to spend more time together. I'm sorry we were reunited only to be separated once more."

"It's a temporary necessity. I understand." Hayato shifted but did his best not to mess up her work. "Once all this business is over I can come back to your side. I look forward to it, but I also know that this what you need of me. No one else can do this the way I can."

She didn't respond immediately and Hayato worried for a moment that she was about to tell him no. That he didn't need to come back to her. That she had Hiei and her other friends and this new life and therefore her arms were too full for him. Cold filled his stomach within seconds as the silence added weight to the herb scented air. Then it all lifted as Shinpi hugged his neck, her body curling over him slightly. He forgot sometimes how small she was in this body, over a foot shorter than himself. Hayato tipped his head back in her hold so he could look up into her misted eyes with his own curious dark brown stare.

"I am never going to stop being sorry Hai." Shinpi told him softly. "I owe you a lifetime of apologies for what I put you through."

"What you put me through?" He blinked, surprised by this outburst. His lips parted as he studied the creases between her eyebrows as they pulled down towards her nose, the way her lip tucked in slightly as her teeth pulled at the inner meat. At least her anxious habits hadn't changed, but he couldn't for the life of him understand what she was suddenly apologizing for.

"I've been thinking about the last time we saw each other, when Hiro revealed his true face." She explained in a voice that stressed against the weight of the syllables falling past her lips. "I've been thinking a lot about how I allowed this all to happen."

"You didn't know what he was." Hayato replied, brows pulling together in confusion for her mood. The terrycloth of her robe rubbed against his jaw as her arms, wrapped around him, tightened their hold just a fraction.

"I should have." Despite the quiet utterance, the words seemed to echo between them.

"I was there too. We both failed, Amon-Shinpi." He smiled at her as gently as he could, speaking her name with all the care he could put into his voice. "We both lost and suffered, but we both made it. We survived and we came back together."

"I left you behind." She reminded him in a choked whisper, her frame trembling. "I saw you in the castle but then I saw Kin and I couldn't-Hai, I couldn't-I just-"

He had never heard this part before. He hadn't ever really thought about it from her perspective. Now it made sense, of course she would have seen him on the floor, broken and defeated and nearly dead. Of course she would have had to step over him to get to the nightmare he'd failed to prevent. She didn't talk about this. Neither did he. They'd never agreed to not discuss it, it was just something that they never mentioned to each other for their own reasons. His was shame. He assumed hers was agonizing pain.

Now she apologized for leaving him there and he couldn't understand why because there really had been no other option, had there? What else could she have done?

"Hey." He reached up and cupped her cheek, trying to soothe her through the contact. "I would have done the same. You made the right choice."

Shinpi inhaled roughly then a sob wracked over her. He waited a moment for her composure to return because he knew it would. She hated being out of control. He had been to war with her and unlike her soldiers who had only seen her cold determination and her rage, he had seen her fall apart in her tent when they lost a fighter. When it was too close. When she was exhausted and raw and done and ready to go home but couldn't. He'd seen her face crumple up this way, turning into a mash of ugly lines and wet tracks, before. Not this face, but she cried the same.

"If Hiro had gone through you I would have taken Kin and fled. I wouldn't have been able to look back. It would have broken me everyday but I would have done it."

"I should have stopped to think."

"With what time? You had to act."

"I didn't act, I raged."

"Justifiably."

"Why do you always defend me even when my actions are indefensible? Hai, I demolished parts of that castle without thinking. I literally devolved into madness and because a monstrous creature I have no recollection of being." She sucked in a wet, shaking breath.

Hayato wiped her tears away with his thumbs. Then he stretched up and kissed her forehead, an awkward action given their position.

"You weren't a monster, Amon-Shinpi. You were a wailing woman, it just happens that your family feels grief more profoundly and more dangerously than most others. You lost your husband and your child at the same time. I can't imagine what that was like." He reminded her, pulling away so he could turn around and press his forehead to hers, his calloused palms cupping her cheeks. His own eyes began to water, a wet heaviness entering his chest and clogging his words. "When I woke up and Kin was gone, when you were gone, I didn't know what to do. Everything was suddenly cold. It was all wrong."

"I lost you too." She told him, her hands coming up to hold his face. "Hai-"

"But you're here now." He spoke over her. "You're alive and you're really here, in my hands, and not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for that. We have suffered enough Amon-Shinpi. I don't want to keep reliving those awful memories. I want to be here, with you, and I want to be by your side as we figure out how to make this life better."

Shinpi shuddered a breath, then another and finally nodded at him while pressing her lips together. After a moment she was able to speak again without bursting into tears. "I want that too."

"Then let's start by having you finish my hair." He teased her with forced levity as she wiped a tear from his cheek. "Then I'll do yours."

"You've been shit at braids your whole life." She reminded him with a laugh that bounced off the dewy bathroom walls.

"Well, I can at least brush it. It's hard to mess that up." Hayato grinned back at her, glad her mood had shifted to something lighter. She had spent too many years burdened with the weight of her past, he wanted her to have a gentler life going forward. A brighter one. Seeing her smile lit him up from the inside because it felt like maybe they were going to get there someday.

* * *

"It doesn't bother you?"

Hiei just barely tilted his head toward Kurama at the sound of the question, his eyes still closed as he lounged in the reading room with the fox who had been buried in a book until now. Knowing exactly what Kurama was suggesting, Hiei scoffed.

"What doesn't?" He was still going to make the other man say it just so Kurama could hear how stupid he sounded suggesting it.

"Them bathing together." Kurama pressed, his own voice cool.

"No. It doesn't."

Hiei could tell those probing green eyes were locked on him. There was a particular itch that crawled over one's skin when Kurama fixated on them. It was a warning to duck, to skitter back, to be alert. Hiei ignored it because he wasn't in any danger. Provoking Kurama was half the fun of knowing him. Besides, it was a particularly idiotic question to ask. Why would he be bothered by Hayato and Shinpi sharing a bath? She didn't see the man as a potential partner. They were more than friends, sure, but it was a familial bond not romantic. Shinpi cared for Hayato the way she cared for Kuwabara or Yusuke or even Kurama. And Hayato felt the same about her. He idolized her, he would die for her, but it wasn't the sort of loyalty that came from attraction. Their relationship was something he didn't fully understand, and sometimes he questioned it why it was so deep, but he knew not to suggest it had anything to do with sex.

"Can I ask why?" Kurama inquired, the sound of his book closing seeming louder than it needed to be.

"Only if you tell me why it bothers you so much." Hiei drawled in response.

There was a beat of silence that answered him, so relaxed back into the cushions of the chaise lounge, one knee bent and the other leg dangling off the side, his arms folded behind his head. The air had turned colder outside and clouds had rolled over the horizon to blot out what little sunlight there had been warming the grounds. The air tasted of ice and without a doubt there was snow coming to them soon. He could handle it, but why would he when he could be in here annoying Kurama?

"It just seems a little strange to me, I suppose. It doesn't bother me, necessarily, it's just unusual. I don't quite understand it." Kurama's admittance caused Hiei to open his eyes so he could turn just his head to glance at the other man. "Perhaps I just don't understand what it means to be so close with someone."

"I don't either." Hiei told him. "But she does. And this is something that makes her happy so it's best to leave it alone."

"He's awfully dedicated."

"He's her only family."

Kurama inhaled in a way that earned Hiei's more concentrated attention so the fire demon rose to sitting to study his oldest friend. Crimson eyes scanning he watched as Kurama's fingers toyed with the frayed upper corner of the book's cover, the mindless action and unusual display of agitated thought. Mouth pulled slightly to the side, lines formed at the corners his slightly narrowed veridian eyes, jaw tense enough to allow the muscle to become pronounced even to the untrained eye. Kurama seemed to notice that Hiei was watching him closely and all the signs and tells vanished. Suddenly it was just Kurama sitting there, poised and calm.

"You know more about him than I do." Kurama spoke calmly, but it seemed careful to Hiei, as though he was treading softly around a harsher subject. "And you know her relationship to him better than I could hope to."

"You could ask her. Or him." Hiei pointed out, resting his arm on his bent knee that palm coming up to cup his cheek as his attention remained fixed on the fox. "All I know is that she cares about him, he cares about her, and despite his complete and utter failure to keep her alive before he seems to be a capable man. I don't question his loyalty or his dedication."

"Maybe I will. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around it." Kurama rubbed at his temples. "I don't know why it's so interesting to me all of the sudden."

"Maybe because they've been in the damn bath for more than an hour and you need to use it."

"I don't think that's it, but that is a fair point." Kurama sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I suppose it's just strange to me that they are so physically open with one another."

Hiei snorted at that, rolling his eyes.

"What?" Kurama glared at him.

"You're a hypocrite as usual." Hiei accused, flashing him a look. "You have no space to call out the physical closeness of their relationship."

Kurama stiffened, then straightened in his chair. "It's different."

"Not to me." Hiei decided to lay back down. "It's all the same."

"It's not the same at all, Hiei. I'm Hichi's friend, her ally, and yes we do have a physically affection relationship but it is not nearly what they have." Kurama continued. "It's entirely different, actually. For one, she would never deign to bathe with me. And I can't say I'd want her to because it would be a crossed line. Cuddling is one thing, but being completely exposed to each other is just-"

"Intimate." Hiei supplied when Kurama dropped the sentence.

"Yes." Kurama agreed. "And it feels strange to me that you're not bothered by her sharing that intimacy with someone who isn't you."

"Why are you so bothered by this?" Hiei opened his eyes to speak, but he didn't look at Kurama.

"Because I don't understand it." Kurama responded with more frustration than Hiei thought he'd be willing to show. "I can't understand it."

"Ask her about it." Hiei prompted him, huffing. "I don't have the capacity to explain it in the nuanced way she can. As for _our_ relationship, it's centered on trust. I trust Shinpi and I trust Hayato with her. So I don't worry about it."

Kurama hummed in response. After a few seconds the sound of the pages of his book flipping announced he had gone back to his reading and Hiei took that as a sign he could actually nap for a while.

* * *

Kurama was a little surprised to find Shinpi and Hayato standing outside the bathroom in their robes talking. He'd imagined they'd been long done, which is why he'd finally stopped waiting for his turn. It had been nearly two hours since they'd entered the room. How clean did one need to get? Then he noticed the fresh braids in Hayato's thick dark hair and from experience he knew how long those probably took to weave. Glancing at Shinpi he noted her hair hung free and unadorned, looking freshly brushed as it stretched down to her lower back`. Some of her silver and bronze braid rings now wrapped around Hayato's plaits, glinting in the light.

Shinpi noticed him coming to a stop and her attention earned Hayato's, who also turned to look him over.

"I'm sorry we took so long." She made a face of apology.

"Don't apologize." Kurama tried to smile but the expression just didn't rise. Instead he was distracted by the intensity of Hayato's dark eyed stare. What was the raven's problem?

Shinpi shifted, her teeth pulling at her lip. "Okay then. Still, I'll be faster next time."

"It really isn't a problem." Kurama told her, again his attempt at being as friendly as he wanted to be failing in light of the scrutiny he was under. Moving his focus from the raven to Shinpi he finally smiled at her. "You probably needed the soak after everything you endured. I'm sure you're sore."

"I am." She nodded.

An uneasy silence fell and Kurama wasn't sure why. He let the smile fade as Shinpi adjusted her weight from foot to foot, one arm crossing over her stomach to grab the other. Just as he was about to ask her what was bothering her she glanced to Hayato.

"I'm going to get dressed. I think your spare clothes are in my room for safe keeping." She announced, cutting through the quiet.

"I'll be right there." He assured her. As she walked off he turned to look at Kurama again, a darker gleam to his eye.

Kurama stared back, unmoved.

"She trusts you." Hayato spoke in a voice Kurama had never heard him use before. It was dangerous, bordering on threatening while being just shy. "I hope you're worthy of that honor because she doesn't give it freely. She's been hurt enough."

"I don't know what you mean." Kurama remained fixed in place, his response cool and anything but docile. "Hichi knows she can count on me to keep her safe. I would never intentionally harm her."

"Intentionally." Hayato caught the word and narrowed his eyes. "The fact you have to qualify it is worrisome, Kurama."

"I can't make promises for every contingency, Hayato. Just as she can't predict them all. Whenever it is within my power she'll be safe. You're not the only one who holds her loyalty and trust close to your heart. She means something precious to all of us." Kurama stepped forward, his voice quiet and if one wasn't truly listening it might sound soft. A tinge of bitterness coated the words though, seeping between the syllables. "You do not get to tell any of us we are not worthy of her companionship. That is for her to decide."

He had to tilt his head back to look up at Hayato's face, the man daunting him in height. Hayato looked down at him, thick brows pulled together as he studied the redhead.

"She can depend on me." Kurama stated firmly, resolved and allowing no room for argument on the matter. "You don't get to decide that either."

The glint to Hayato's eyes lessened then disappeared, his lips softening after being pressed thin. His eyes brows returned to their regular positions but Kurama noted he had creases between them. Wrinkles from pulling them together so often no doubt. They were faint but there. It was almost humorous in a way because no doubt Shinpi was the cause of the development.

"I don't appreciate what happened today." Hayato explained, still hard on the edges but softening some. "It's difficult watching someone hurt her. I've had to see her wounded too many times in my life, Kurama. I can't stand by and let anyone else lead her by the hand into a life of pain, not again. Never again. She really does trust you. She relies on you. You matter a great deal to her. I'd rather not see that end in disappointment. She's tired, I think you'll agree she deserves a softer life now, she deserves more happiness. Don't be someone who ruins that for her."

Kurama was left with a dry mouth and sinking stomach as the raven patted his shoulder and walked away, following in Shinpi's footsteps to make his way to her room. He knew he'd slipped during their match. Shinpi had never looked at him with any amount of fear before. He just hadn't realized how badly he'd messed up. Emerald eyes watched Hayato's back, nerves fraying in Kurama's being, unraveling him from the edges. First Hiei saying he'd almost intervened and now this.

How badly had he actually hurt her?

What had they seen?

It wasn't his secret, he knew, because if it had been that then these conversations likely would have been more violent. Especially Hiei's. What had he looked like to them? He knew how he'd felt and he supposed that was answer enough.

* * *

"I'm going to go read."

"Hn." Hiei shifted in his sleep, his grunt the only acknowledgment he offered to Shinpi's statement.

She remained sitting in the bed for a few more seconds, admiring him in the darkness. He seemed so relaxed, a rare state. She enjoyed that it was often her company that induced it in him. Bending over him she brushed the lightest of kisses over his lips before slipping from the bed. Sleep evaded her, her mind too full of thoughts and anxieties, so she gave up on it. She'd done her best.

The temple was quiet as she crept through the halls on silent feet, headed for the furthest room she knew would offer some comfort and solitude. Maybe she'd fall asleep in the armchair while reading. Sometimes all her mind needed was a little distraction from itself. She passed Hayato's room, situated next her the one she shared with Hiei. Normally he might sleep in her bed but Hiei was insistent that _he_ was going to hold that post tonight given the sudden snow storm pinning them in place. Genkai was elsewhere, leaving no hint to her current whereabouts. Yukina had gone to stay with Kuwabara for some time together since he was too busy with school to trek up to the grounds. It was just Shinpi and her boys.

Her stomach turned uncomfortably, bringing her hand to cover it.

She hadn't spoken to Kurama really since the end of their fight, allowing for the few words at the bath. He seemed angry still. They'd all eaten separately through the evening. Kurama hadn't actually been around at all. She hoped he'd eaten. Her teeth worried at her bottom lip, pulling at a small bit of skin she'd worked loose through the day. It stung but that didn't stop her. While Hiei had wandered to the training room and Hayato had cooked, she'd handled their clothes. She'd hoped Kurama would find his way to the laundry area so maybe she could ask him about his anger.

He'd never come.

Just thinking about it made her feel a little queasy. She'd truly upset him. Had her loss not been enough? Did he not believe her when she said she'd ask for help? She'd prove it to him. Anything to make this discomfort disappear. Even his jokes after his victory felt hollow, a show. Maybe for Hiei? Maybe an attempt to force things to smooth over despite his still strong emotions? What was he thinking? What could she do about it?

The wood floor seeped cold into the soles of her feet, no socks to protect her. The cold didn't clear her mind. She walked into the dark reading room and closed the door after her, trotting to the dimmest lamp with the oldest bulb turning it on to allow that muted amber light to only just barely fill the space of the chair next to it. She picked a book at random, not really interested in any topic other than deciphering Kurama's behavior, but given that's what she was in here trying to avoid doing, she tried to focus on the relic in her hands. An old book about demonology. Cute.

She pulled her feet into the chair, curling up to protect herself from the stagnant cold air of the room. Her pink cotton sleep pants and black tanktop had been enough to warm her next to Hiei, safely in bed but out here they felt too thin. She wished there was a blanket but maybe the cold would fade as sleep wrapped around her. She began reading, and her thoughts began to scramble to remain at the forefront of her attention. The fight played vividly through her memories, blocking out all other matters as though she was watching a movie she couldn't pause. The ending in particular gripped her tightly demanding she face it. Shinpi swallowed.

She hated that Kurama was still so upset with her. It ate at her core and hurt her stomach. Hiei told her not to worry about it, that it was fine. Kurama wasn't as upset as she thought he was. At least not at her. But how could she believe that when he had been so cool to her by the baths? When he had barely looked at her? He'd seemed appalled earlier that he might have actually wounded her. He'd rushed to help.

Her fingers coming up to touch the nearly-black-for-their-shade-of-purple bruises tattooed into her skin on her shoulder. The same color decorated her forearms, her back. Hayato had tried to heal them but she refused. At this, guilt called to her because Kurama had, no doubt, been upset at the idea of hurting her but to the gods she'd been so excited about it. Maybe that's why he was angry? Because she had taken too much joy in his wrath?

But how could she not when she'd never seen it before?

It was more than Hiei could have truly prepared her for. Kurama was a fierce opponent, everything she'd been right to fear. Licking her lips she once again replayed their solo round. The prickle of being hunted rising the hair on her nape as she was forced to _hide, _something she hadn't experienced in ages. The hot-blood instinct of being put on the defensive, trapped by something larger and more vicious than herself. She had been able to taste the growth of the forest as it surrounded Kurama, clogging her senses and reminding her that she would be committed to the ground and regrown at some point. Maybe even right then.

Everything about it unsettled her blood with adrenaline. His voice above her before he dropped down, having found her so quickly and easily. He'd managed to gain an advantage she hadn't suspected he'd take. It had never once occurred to her to look up because it was _Kurama_. Hiei dove out of trees. Nothing in her notes or her memories had prepared her for Kurama using such tactics. The weight of his body crashing down her, the pain of it, had surprised her.

And that line. _"I know how hard I hit you."_ Even now it made her smile. He really did know her tricks and he really wasn't going to back off of her. Even now, after these years, Hiei still backed down when he thought he hurt her. But not Kurama. No. Kurama only advanced. Only threw it in her face that she was trying to manipulate and she couldn't. In fact, now that she thought it, she'd be willing to put money on the fact that the reason he had lessened the lethality of the whip had been because he'd _known_ she would attempt the ploy. He hadn't wanted to cut her down but he was going to make his point.

Her lips pulled to the left, her eyes glittering in the dim light as she tried to remember to feel bad about these feelings of pride and delight. Kurama was angry with her. She shouldn't be feeling so glib.

He'd accepted her blows without even showing an ounce of pain. Nothing. No reaction when she'd tackled him, only his breath hissing out before he regained himself. It had been a while since someone had thrown her so many times in a fight. She hadn't spent this much time on her back with a man since meeting Hiei. Kurama was relentless. Rough. She hadn't expected him to be so hands on with her, so up close.

Had that been a direct response to her knowledge of him? Surely Kurama had pieced together that she'd done her best to memorize their styles. He was intelligent, wily. He'd have figured it out. Was that why he changed his style so drastically? To keep her on her toes?

Or had it been because of that burning rage flowing through him that she had gotten to glimpse? That heat that had actually made her sweat in cold beads as her blood chilled in her veins with the feeling that this really might be the end? That dire, sudden, breathtaking knowledge that a powerful opponent had her where he wanted her. Her toes curled thinking about it. It had all thrown her off her game. Hiei had been predictable, though he had been a good match for Kurama's attacks. They'd done well herding her, balancing each other out. Maybe she could get them to work together more often. She'd like to see them in the field, no holds barred.

Swallowing made her remember the calloused palm that had so pointedly pressed to her throat, long fingers wrapped around her neck. Nails tracing her veins while she was defenseless, bound and hung, her legs caged in. Her heart had hammered in her chest so hard she was surprised Kurama didn't count the beats to her. He could have danced to the rhythm. She probably shouldn't have called him out for being exhausted, it hadn't done her any favors. Appealing to his better nature hadn't worked because at the time, in that moment, he didn't have one. What if she'd been someone else? What would he have done to her? Could she push him to that point? Could she get him to treat her like any other opponent? She didn't think so. Even as wild as he'd been, he'd shown restraint with her.

Even if his hand had trembled with the urge to choke the living shit out of her.

Teasing him hadn't worked either. She'd wanted to win so badly, even when she knew she'd already lost. If she'd been able to sway him into letting her go before admitting defeat… but her Kurama hadn't bitten at the bait. He'd called her on all of her games. He'd met her match for match and taken the crown.

Shinpi had never seen Kurama's eyes shine so plainly with intention before that moment when he leaned over her, hand on her throat forcing her to look up. Had he meant to do that? He'd made sure she suffered his gaze, a message radiating from those cold forest green eyes, something he wanted to burrow into her soul, something that had to be branded into her so she never forgot it. Only she wasn't able to decipher the meaning. He never told her. It was something dark and ancient and cruel but alive and it wanted her to know it was there, coiled and ready to strike. What had that look meant? Why couldn't she shake it out of her head? She didn't know. What she did know was that the thrill tracing her spine was purely from devolving him into this baser creature. As dangerous as it was to test Kurama's patience she couldn't help herself but to press him. He never wanted to fight her. He never wanted to get nasty and show his teeth. She had wondered for a while what if would feel like to be on the receiving end of his ire. At the beginning, she had imagined the tortures he might concoct a million times if she misstepped before acquiring her sword. That's why she'd had to earn his trust early. Even seething with bared teeth making demands of her while controlling her actions, all of his movements were lined with calculation.

With his hand on her throat, pressing and testing, that look in his darkened eyes all Shinpi could do was succumb. Her body relaxed not as a way to demean him but purely from instinct. Voices in her head she'd never heard before pleaded 'if we submit maybe he will be satisfied and leave' as though she were some cowardly pup still learning strength. Never, not once in her life, had she been so viscerally overpowered. It really had reminded her of Hiei in the moment. She recalled feeling similarly then too, thinking if she just let him have his way he'd let her be. This was different however, this wasn't a response based on her knowledge of him. This had come from some place deep in her ancestry where survival had been ingrained in her DNA. She had to allow him access to her throat because she couldn't help herself. Kurama in that moment called to her deepest nature and it responded by cowering before him.

For the first time she'd seen the monster lurking under his smooth skin up close and personal and it had not liked being summoned, but by the gods she'd do it again given even half the chance. She craved a chance to prove herself to that beast. She wanted to make it bow to her, take the power away from it and crown herself the dangerous one.

Could she make Kurama cower?

Kurama hadn't wounded her seriously. She suspected he wouldn't. But still, even in that moment, she'd wondered for far he'd go to prove his point. Which one of them would break first? Would he stop or would she be forced to concede? How much would she have been able to take? What were Kurama's hard limits when it came to his opponents? At the Dark Tournament he'd killed without mercy but he'd also attempted to save some opponents. It wasn't a wanton blood lust that directed his actions. He had sense, he had control.

Then that coil of vine descended to wrap around her throat, hungry for victory, thorns biting against her skin searching for the blood rushing underneath. More plants climbed up her legs securing her in place as though Kurama hadn't already trapped her completely. Her arms were lost in the thicket of vines and flora that sprung to life in his hair, crawling over her with the desire to cover her until she was another quiet thing consumed by the landscape. As his temper escalated so did his attack. A horrific symmetry formed between the assault and his tone as he ramped up, yelling at her for not calling for him.

He had proven himself to be every bit as terrifying as she'd once imagined. Being his friend had clouded her vision. Her soft, safe friend had turned into a predator deadlier than herself and it was all her fault. That's where her guilt tried to spring back onto her, but it had a hard time cutting through the other emotions walling themselves around her. She should feel guilty. She knew it. She should apologize for pushing him so far, for obviously making him do something he hadn't wanted to do. His anger was justified even if she didn't actually know where it originated.

She'd apologize and she'd mean it, she decided. She owed him that much. Maybe he'd forgive her.

Shinpi sat up straight, eyes narrowed and body tensed to spring as the door slid open quietly but without notice. The figure on the other side stopped as soon as he noticed her. Swallowing she settled down but a different tension remained in her taut muscles as Kurama crossed into the room and closed the door. He wore thicker sleep pants than she did, and he'd been smart enough to down a sweater and wear socks. His hair looked almost black in the deeper shadows of the room, pulled back from his face in a half bun though his bangs still hung loose over his forehead.

"I didn't realize you were awake." Kurama told her making no move to come farther into the room than he'd stepped. "Am I interrupting?"

"Of course not." Shinpi shook her head, her own hair loose around her shoulders. "I was just trying not to wake anyone."

"I'm surprised you're not asleep, you've had a trying day."

"It takes more than exhaustion to still my mind unfortunately." She offered him a soft smile hoping to get one in return. Instead his dark eyes scanned over her, and she noticed he focused on her bared bruises. He looked to the side quickly after, squinting into the shadows. "I can go."

Quiet feet hit the ground as she stood, her forgotten book laid to rest on the arm of the chair she'd occupied. It was obvious he still didn't want to speak to her. Her apology could wait until he was ready to hear it, no sense in pushing him any further away. Just as she came to the conclusion Kurama strode over to her with purpose, his mouth set into a frown. He blocked her from moving farther, looking down at her face with his unhappy mask firmly in place. Maybe now was the right time then.

"I'm sorry for pushing you so hard." Shinpi muttered, looking away as she pushed her fingers through the hair at her crown, moving the hand to the back of her head as she hunched into her shoulders. "I realize I may have seemed like I wasn't getting the lesson but I assure I was. I'll prove it the next time I'm able."

"Are you leaving those so I'll have to see them?" Kurama swallowed, his throat moving audibly.

"What?" Shinpi blinked, taken back. "Leaving what?"

Those long fingers that had been so harsh against her skin earlier in the day were gentle as he pushed her hair away from her shoulder, cold fingertips just barely skimming over the damaged flesh he found. His other hand balled into a fist before he could stretch the fingers out again, something she caught. He assessed her arms and then exhaled heavily, eyes crinkling at the corners as his mouth screwed up in distaste for what he saw.

"I thought Hayato healed you." He breathed and she was surprised that he sounded ashamed. "Selfishly I had hoped he had."

"Why?" She tilted her head.

"Because I didn't want to see what I'd done to you." He stepped away from her and immediately his hand when to his bangs, heel of his palm moving to the bridge of his nose before his slid the hand down his face, allowing it cover his mouth as he looked at her again. Then the hand fell away and he looked away.

"I think it's very rude of you not to acknowledge my apology." She told him then, lifting her chin.

"What apology?" He stared at her.

"The one I just made. You didn't hear me did you?" She crossed her arms. It worked. Kurama's attitude shifted as confusion stole over his features.

Maybe he wasn't completely immune to all of her tricks after all, she thought as she tried not to smile about it. He seemed forlorn and she needed to bring him out of the mood.

"I said I was sorry that I pushed you so hard and that I'll prove I meant it when I said I'd ask for help." She repeated herself calmly. "I understand that you have a right to your anger with me, but I still don't like it. I was hoping our fight would be the end of it, but I'll keep trying to make it up to you."

"I'm not angry with you."

"Are you sure?"

"I think I'd be the expert here on how I'm feeling." He told her dully. He immediately regretted the tone because she went back to hunching her shoulders and wrapped her arms around her middle, becoming small and admonished. "I'm sorry you feel like I'm angry with you. I'm not."

"Okay." Shinpi nodded but she didn't look at him. "I think maybe I should go so you can have the room."

Kurama forced himself to be still for a second, to not react too much. Their fight had shaken something loose in him and he hated it because if he wasn't careful he would ruin his entire life. But there was no way he was letting Shinpi leave this room with that look on her face even if he had to lock the door to keep her inside. He couldn't bear it, that pained understanding in her eyes. Hayato's words haunted him.

He refused to be the one to ruin her happiness. That wasn't his role in this life. It couldn't be. Kurama valued, more than any of his daydreams or any of his wistful what-ifs, his friendship with Shinpi and he wanted to protect that treasure with all his strength. He would kill for it. He might have to die for it at some point. This was what mattered, just being there for her and her for him. Everything else could be dealt with and hopefully some of those dangerous emotions would fade with time, but this was something he wouldn't give up or tarnish. Being her friend meant the world to him. That's why he pushed her talk things out with Hiei. That's why he checked on her so much. And that's why he grabbed her arm to spin her around, dragging her to his chest so he could hug her maybe a little too tightly.

"Kurama?" Shinpi asked him, breathless in her surprise.

"I don't want to hurt you." He told her quietly, his voice rocky with emotions even he couldn't place.

"I'm sorry I made you."

He stood caught in her gaze more than aware he was balancing delicately between the truth he was willing to offer and the one he could never speak into existence. Probing indigo nearly black in the semi-darkness drug him down into the memory of the swollen pupil excitement she'd shown him in the forest. His head felt a little light. He was a man of two faces always it seemed. He bowed down and kissed her forehead gently to hide his expression from her because he knew his eyes were probably glinting and he needed to collect himself and put his best face forward. He was rattled, like the beast he locked in a cage in his mind, and it shook the bars in demand for something it would never taste.

It was never this bad. It was always tolerable. Their fight had made him greedier than he'd ever been before and it surprised him. This was not a consequence he had predicted or intended. He had no plan for this battery against his self control. What was he supposed to do? He had to tread lightly.

_Remember what__'s important here_.

He breathed in then out and when he pulled back he was able to smile at her like usual. Shinpi stared at him like she knew something wasn't right, her nose wrinkled slightly as though she could sniff out his secret. Good luck, he thought, because he was used to stashing valuable things where no one could find them.

"I'm a little disappointed you feel so strongly about all of this." Shinpi spoke, still scouring him for reactions. "While I thoroughly learned my lesson I have to admit, it left me hungry to fight you again. I bet I could learn a lot from you."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Kurama frowned. "Not with your penchant for causing trouble and drawing the worst reactions from people."

"That's not a penchant, it's a skill." She told him. "You didn't enjoy fighting me?"

"That's not the point." Kurama remained firm. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Besides, both you and Hiei felt it necessary to point out that I can't keep up with either of you as easily as I once could. What could you possibly get out of fighting me?"

"It would be mutually beneficial. You'd gain some of your endurance back and I'd learn how to win against you." She offered him a sly smile.

Kurama released her. This was not what he needed right now. "You're a menace. No."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" She asked not expecting an answer. She watched him collapse down onto the chaise lounge, hand covering his eyes so he didn't have to look at her. "You don't want to improve your stamina?"

"I can do that without you."

"So you specifically don't want to train with me." She walked over to his side with a smirk he couldn't see. Kurama was being stubborn and she wanted to know why but she was also trying not to push too far. He said he wasn't angry with her but he was obviously upset about something.

"Yes." He moved his hand so one eye could glare at her. "Stop looking at me like that."

"That's a little hurtful." She shrugged. "But I suppose I should respect your stance. It's a shame. It would be easier for me to call on you for help if I knew your limits were as boundless as my own."

"Don't." He warned her darkly. "Don't stand there and try to manipulate me into giving you what you want."

"Okay." She nodded allowing him to see her raised palms as though she were giving up, backing down.

He should have known better. She stepped up onto the chaise lounge like a queen climbing the steps to her throne stopping once one foot was on either side of his legs. It forced him to look up at her. Normally these games were fine. He didn't mind them. But his mood was borderline as he couldn't seem to trust himself. It wasn't her fault. She had no reason to think this was upsetting to him because it had never been a problem. Kurama bit his tongue to keep from telling her to get off of him. Shinpi dropped down to one knee, then the other her chin coming down as she placed her hands on the material on either side of his ribcage. He could not mistake her for anything other than a creature that hunted the night with her current posture.

Kurama came up onto his elbows with a glare, knowing what she was about to try. "Don't you dare do it, Hichi."

Her bottom lip came out a little bit, those doe eyes drilling into him with the force of a mountain landing on his chest. He knew what came next and he also knew his best friend was a brat who truly couldn't handle not getting her way.

"Please?" She asked him with that infuriating pout.

"No." He told her though he wavered a little. "Stop it. It's not going to work. Save your underhanded tactics for someone who will fall prey to them. Like Hiei."

"Fine." She shrugged and looked away shifting back to her knees. "I'll stop. It seems you've made up your mind on this matter."

Her fingers combed through her hair, pulling it back behind her shoulders. He knew she meant it, she was done. There would be no more pushing from her end. Her shoulders rounded slightly, her lips parted in disappointment that she didn't vocalize. He felt his resolve crack a little.

"Let me train on my own and I might reconsider at a later date." He allowed before he realized he was giving into her despite her giving up. Maybe Hiei was right and he needed to be more strong willed, set more boundaries. "_Maybe_. If you don't pester me about it."

"I'll be very patient." She nodded with a brilliant smile that blocked out the shadows as though she had won some landmark victory. He rolled his eyes at her. Her expression sobered then and she sat back on his legs, studying him. "Are we okay, Kurama? As it turns out, I really don't like you being angry with me. It's been keeping me up at night."

"Is that why you're in here?" He blinked, then softened considerably. "We're fine, Hichi. I'm sorry I've been making you feel this way."

"It's justified. I scared you. You're all right to be upset with me. I'm just not accustomed to it. I haven't disappointed this many people at once since Hai had to drag me home to my parents after I accidentally caused a riot in a tavern." She rubbed her neck, grimacing. "It's hard for me to ask for help, but I really am trying to work on it. I promise I am. Sometimes my wires get crossed and my focus on cases meets my urge to keep you all safe and it just feels better to do it alone because then I know I'm not risking anyone else."

Kurama sat up, one hand behind him to balance while she remained on his legs. "I know it's hard but you have to start doing it. We worry about you, Hichi. All of us. But I'm selfish so I'm going to focus on me and the fact that I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. Please don't ever make me wonder about that again. I'm begging you."

She nodded, once again admonished.

"Did you want me to read to you?" He asked gently. "I feel like all we've done is argue with each other and hash things out. I'd like to actually get to enjoy your company for a little while."

"I'd like that." Shinpi melted, that small smile returning just so it could stab him in the chest a weapon she didn't even realize she wielded. "Thank you."

The wind howled outside the windows of the room and Shinpi wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing at her skin which had become covered in gooseflesh. Reaching up, Kurama ran his palms over her forearms.

"You're freezing."

"It's not so bad." She argued quietly. "It's warmer here with you at least. These old rooms just aren't very well insulated."

He pursed his lips, using the softest touch he could muster to push her off of him. He peeled his sweater over his head, leaving him in a white t-shirt. Without really stopping to ask if it was alright he pulled the garment down over her head. She allowed her lips to form a small 'o' her hair staticy and mussed from the benevolent action. She opened her mouth to argue but he shook his head and she stopped before she even really tried. Pushing her arms through the sleeves she accepted the offering.

"Thank you." Shinpi told him, smoothing her hands over the soft material. Then she laughed softly, pulling the neck toward her nose and inhaling deeply. "We use the same laundry soap."

"Do we? I hadn't noticed." He lied because not only had he noticed, he'd started buying that brand just because she used it. She'd washed everyone's clothes at least once and he'd favored the way his smelled after she'd returned them. It was such a stupid thing to hold onto, but it was innocent. He'd even gotten his mother to switch to this detergent. "It must be popular."

"I just think it's nice that we think so much alike."

"Look out world, there's two of us now."

Shinpi grew still and shifted her attention around the room cautiously. Lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper she leaned close to him. "Do you sense that?"

He shook his head.

"It's the world laying itself out at our feet."

He chuckled and it shortly turned into a true laugh. Just like that, with one stupid joke the strangeness of the day vanished from his mind. He was himself again and Shinpi was her and they were best friends hanging out comfortably. No expectations, nothing between them that needed to be hid from prying eyes.

It was a short time later in that nebulous space between midnight and dawn where all time was the same, stretched seconds lasting for hours. Shinpi's head rested on Kurama's thigh, her body cuddled between his legs as he read to her, his fingers playing idly through the dark strands of her hair. At the end of the passage he lowered the book to his knee with heavy consideration of his thoughts. Maybe it was the hour, or the lack of sleep, or the softness of the moment but it felt like the moment to ask his burning question of the woman laying so comfortably in his lap, her hair fanned over his leg.

"Not to be indelicate," he started and even he knew he could have chosen his tired words better, "but how is it that you can so casually just bathe with Hayato? I don't understand your relationship with him very well. Hiei told me I had to ask you about it because he couldn't explain well enough to appease me. It just strikes me as unusual that two grown adults could just so carelessly do something so intimate without it meaning something."

"I didn't take you for a prude." Shinpi teased him in a murmur, too cozy to take anything to heart.

"It's not about being prudish." He tutted. "Please help me understand."

"Hayato and I have known each other a long time, Kurama. Nearly all my life, give or take a few decades. He has seen me at my highest and my lowest. He chose to follow me when any sane man would have fled."

"That doesn't explain anything."

"Bathing communally isn't something to be ashamed of in my family or my homeland. It's strange around here I suppose, to us it's just like sharing the bath with your sibling." Shinpi shrugged which turned into her snuggling more comfortably into the warmth he offered. "It's not as intimate as you think it is."

"Adult siblings of opposite sexes don't bathe together that often, that I'm aware of." He continued to pet her hair. "I'm not sure why Hiei isn't bothered by it."

"What's there to fear?" Shinpi posited sleepily just before yawning, a long blink with heavy lids following the act. "My love for Hayato is separate and incomparable to how I feel for Hiei or anyone else. Hai is family. He's a part of my soul, a part of what makes me who I am. He poses no threat to my relationship with Hiei."

Kurama still didn't understand but she was rapidly growing unable to string her words together he realized.

"He's just Hai." She mumbled, eyes closing and refusing to open again. "It's casual because it has always been this way. Leaves fall from trees and Hai is at my side."

Kurama looked down at her with amusement. She was having a hard time being coherent, her voice growing softer and softer with each syllable. He was losing her to the hungry embrace of sleep and he was okay with that. She needed the rest.

"He's the only part of me I love." Shinpi slurred before her words drifted off. "Little bird."

Kurama's fingers came to a stop as he studied her unconscious expression. Empty, no pain or malice, no frown following her into sleep. Her words were without consequence to her, some deeper truth in them just coming from a natural place in her heart. The only part of her she loved? He understood then that the reason Shinpi didn't find her relationship with the raven strange was simple. She didn't consider him to be a separate entity fully. To Shinpi, Hayato was a piece of her and she was a piece of him. What could possibly be strange about bathing with yourself?

That evoked a different series of questions. The most pressing being: Who was Hayato, the tired raven dogging Shinpi's heels and claiming a piece of her soul? Kurama imagined there was only one way for him to really answer that question.

He was going to have a friendly, investigative chat with Shinpi's little bird.


	8. The Conversationalist

_**A/N: this chapter is so crazy long. It took a long time to get everything into it that I wanted. I know I**__**'m a few days late to post but I'm excited I'm almost on time. Thank you all so much for reading and especially for those of you that have been reviewing and following the story. I greatly appreciate the time you take to even say the smallest things. It's always a lovely thing to see someone's reactions in my inbox, so thank you. **_

* * *

Kurama carried Shinpi down the hall, her loose arms over his shoulders with her neck under his chin, his arms curled under her legs to hold her upright as he made his way toward her room. The door just before hers opened and Hayato stood there regarding him for a second before he dipped his attention down to the sleeping woman held so tenderly in the his arms.

"Don't wake her. She needs sleep." Hayato came out of his room to quietly walk to Shinpi's bedroom door. He opened it for Kurama to walk through.

"I'm aware." Kurama muttered, accepting the help.

A subdued huff answered him. Kurama felt irritation well up in him at the sound. He was too exhausted himself to put up with whatever Hayato was trying to do. He carefully carried Shinpi to the bed. Again Hayato stepped in, pulling the comforter back so Kurama could lay the woman softly on the sheets. The raven pulled the covering back over her small frame, assessing her. Once he was done he pointedly looked at Kurama then the door with raised eyebrows. Doing his best not to start an argument, Kurama heeded the silent command and made his way out of the room, Hayato following closely behind. Hayato closed the door with great care to not make any noise. With a decidedly unpleasant expression, the raven looked Kurama over as well before rolling his eyes, shaking his head and making his way back to his room.

"I suppose you should sleep as well." Hayato told him opening his door.

"I'll get there." Kurama stated with an edge. "Did I wake you?"

"No."

"Then perhaps you should find some rest yourself. It seems staying up has made a mockery of your disposition." Kurama started walking to his own borrowed room.

Hayato turned to offer him a glare but said nothing as he disappeared through his door, closing it with just as much care as he'd closed Shinpi's. Kurama felt the childish urge to make a face at the wood but he pushed it down. He didn't know what had crawled into Hayato, but it needed to crawl back out or they were going to have more than friendly words later.

* * *

Only slightly rested but in decent enough spirits, Kurama stood behind Shinpi, studying her inky strands. A variety of hair accessories clogged the surface of the table beside them as he slowly and precisely wove braids through her hair. He'd been pleased she'd asked him for the help. It had greatly improved his mood upon waking up actually.

"I'm surprised you didn't have Hayato do this for you yesterday." He commented with some humor, his long fingers perfect for the detailed work he had dedicated himself too. "Surely there was more than enough time while you were in the bath."

Shinpi chuckled at that, which made him fuss at her for moving her head too much. "Braiding is not one of Hayato's skills, unfortunately. It never has been."

"At this point what skills does that man have?" Hiei drawled beside them, foot against the edge of the table to push himself onto the back legs of the chair he occupied. The barb lacked bite. He intentionally glanced to the raven in question who was busy at the stove cooking for the four of them, waiting for a reaction. Yukina's apron was too small for Hayato's torso but he had donned it anyway to keep the clothes he wore clean. The ruffled ties strained across his wide shoulders. It made for quite the sight.

"Ones that matter in other ways." Hayato responded dully. "Someone has to master the areas where you lack competency."

"And what areas are those?" Hiei questioned, smirking.

Hayato answered by placing food on the table and gesturing to it. When Hiei reached for the snacks, the raven shoved them out of his way down to Shinpi's end of the table. She thoughtlessly reached out and took one of the cookies, still soft and warm.

"Boys." She chided. "Play nice."

"You think baking is an essential skill?" Hiei asked and then laughed. "I can destroy armies. Let's see how far your cookies get you when enemies are barreling down on you from all directions."

"I can make Hichi's favorite food." Hayato declared as a counterpoint. "Let's see how far your destructive power gets when she's not feeling well and just wants a home cooked meal."

Hiei frowned, eyes narrowing, a nerve struck.

"Hiei has other qualities, Hai." Shinpi sighed from her chair. "Can you two please avoid fruitless, pointless fights today? We're stuck in here until the storm clears. I'd rather if I didn't have to knock you all unconscious to get a moment of peace."

"Other qualities?" Hiei jerked his attention to her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you can't braid, or cook." Hayato grinned at him. "So what exactly are _your_ skills?"

Shinpi sighed again, tipping her head back to look into Kurama's face as though to ask for his pity. Except he was stuck in the same room as the others too and he had no pity to offer. Only empathy. He smiled down at her and then they laughed together.

"Thank you." She told him. "Would you like me to do yours after this?"

"I'll always say yes to having you play with my hair." He nodded.

"For the record, I can braid." Hayato announced somewhat hotly to the room. "It justs takes me longer than most. You just don't like sitting still for long enough. I'm not unable, you're impatient."

Shinpi turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow, but Kurama fussed again and tugged at her hair to force her head back where he needed it.

"I'm almost done." He muttered. "Don't make me restart this one."

"I didn't mean to offend you _ean beag_. We all have vastly different talents. Do you think Kurama, Hiei or even myself could craft the weapons you do? I wouldn't know what to do in a forge to save my life." She appeased softly.

"I'm viscerally aware. That's why I had to keep you out of mine." He reminded her. "You tried to touch molten metal to see what it felt like."

"You do it." She frowned. "How was I supposed to know that wasn't something everyone could do? Maybe if you had handed me gloves to start with I'd have realized I was out of my element."

"You tried to play with molten metal?" Hiei asked her with unbridled humor.

"What does _ean beag _mean?" Kurama asked, cutting over Hiei's question as he tied off her last plait with a clear elastic. He started to go through and apply her silver braid rings as he saw fit. He'd braided three rows on the left side of her head to pull the hair away from her face. Thinner braids ran through the rest of her locks, some woven with lose hair to create thicker plaits with more texture. He'd learned through watching her do her hair and some of his own research how she liked it to look.

She preferred him over Shizuru nine times out of ten and it was a source of pride. Amazing what a few hours at the library could teach a man.

Something a century and change apparently could not, he mused to himself shooting Hayato a smug look.

"It means little bird." Shinpi explained to him, once again tilting her head back to look at his face. Kurama nodded.

"I think I'd like to learn of your language." He told her with softness, carefully guiding her head back down with his hands.

"It's a complicated language." Hayato and Hiei spoke in unison, Hiei pointing at the raven to indicate he knew exactly what the man was going to say. Hayato shot him a cold glare then he continued without Hiei's further interruption. "Sayolian Gaelic is difficult to master if you're not dedicated to learning it."

"Luckily I am a man who masters complicated things very well." Kurama spoke without an edge, which only seemed to ruffle Hayato's feathers.

"It's hard to speak." Hiei interjected, earning Hayato's curiosity. "What little of it I do know took a lot of effort. The syllables are strange."

"Foreign even?" Shinpi asked. He looked at her dully as she laughed. "Because it's a foreign language. You get it."

"Yes, Shinpi, I understood the joke. It just wasn't funny."

"I didn't know you spoke any Sayolian." Taken aback, Kurama regarded his friend.

"He's learned from listening to me." Shinpi blushed a little then. "Granted very few of the words he knows are worth repeating in polite company. I do have that bad habit of cursing when I'm frustrated."

Hiei nodded, smiling at her. "It's a cute habit. It proves you're not as put together as you pretend to be."

Kurama and Hayato both pulled back slightly at Hiei's casual compliment. Kurama wasn't sure he'd ever heard Hiei use the word cute so gently or even at all before. Hayato too seemed caught off guard and a little disturbed. He looked like a child who witnessed their parents flirting. Shinpi blushed and then smiled at Hiei with a chuckle. She straightened, suddenly remembering something. Turning in her chair now that Kurama's fingers were still she looked her oldest friend over.

"I want to buy you a wardrobe." She told him.

"Unnecessary. I'll get new clothes as mine wear out." Hayato shook his head. "Besides I can't pack that heavily. There's no sense in carrying more than one spare set on my person."

"I'm not talking about tunics and trousers, Hai. I want to dress you up. I want to take you shopping here in Human World and find clothes you can wear out in public without causing a scene." She explained, waving at him. "I know that demons are more common these days but humans are still having a hard time really accepting our existence. In fact I have seen more than a few outright deny it, claiming a government conspiracy. The ones that do seem to know and care aren't ones I want focusing on you."

"Poachers." He frowned.

"You'll let me buy you clothes." She nodded.

"I will not." He shook his head. "I don't spend enough time here to need them. And where would I keep them?"

"I apologize perhaps I misspoke." Shinpi grabbed another cookie and smiled at him but it did not reach her eyes. The bite she took was an aggressive motion, an act of abuse that the cookie did not deserve. "I'm pretty sure I just said that you'd let me do this for you. I hadn't realized I'd turned it into a question. I don't need your permission to do this, only your compliance and even that is negotiable. This is happening, Hayato."

"Hichi." He crossed his arms over his chest. "You have better uses for your resources than this frivolous expense."

She looked him over with a touch of coolness. "Strange. You don't look like Tamago."

"Tamago?" He asked.

"Her accountant." Kurama supplied with a chuckle. He put his hands on her shoulders, one thumb gently rubbing the side of her neck. When she craned back to meet his gaze he offered her a kind smile with glittering eyes. "Hichi, if he doesn't want clothes you shouldn't force him."

Hayato stared at Kurama and something in his expression caught the attention of both Shinpi and Hiei, who had different reactions. She looked mildly befuddled, tipping her head to the side, eating her cookie like a reasonable person now that her point had been made. Hiei however looked largely amused and shook his head as he rose so he could reach over the table to snag himself one of the treats. Despite his heckling, he had to admit Hayato did have a knack for this sort of thing.

Was that something Shinpi looked for in the people around her?

Should he learn to cook? She'd never brought it up. Or had she? He did the dishes, he even went shopping with her sometimes. His thoughts caused his face flatten out as he tried to weigh the odds of this being another small thing that might make her happy.

Didn't Kurama cook for her at times?

Maybe he'd pay Yusuke a visit. The Detective had an unusual skill when it came to food.

"How does a tengu learn to bake?" Kurama pried with genuine curiosity.

"Kuya." Hayato grew rather smug at Kurama's startled expression. "I learned a lot from all members of the family."

"She was a wonderful cook." Shinpi murmured wistfully, tracking happy memories with sad smile. Then the expression grew a little brighter when she turned to Hayato. "I'm glad this part of her lives on in you. Where did you find this recipe by the way?"

"In a drawer. I thought it would be a nice treat given the sorry state of the weather."

The phone on the wall shrilled, breaking through the moment. They all looked at it, and when it rang a second time Shinpi got to her socked feet to pad over to it. Removing the phone from the cradle just before the third ring she brought to her ear with some hesitation. "Hello?"

"Oh, thank goodness." Yukina uttered happily from the other side of the line. "I was worried you had already left. The trains are down because the tracks have frozen over. I was concerned you might be stuck on the tracks, they're having to go out and rescue people. The city is basically shut down at the moment. Are you alright up there?"

"I hadn't realized it had gotten that bad." Shinpi frowned, turning to look through the small kitchen window over the sink. The truth was she hadn't really checked the state of the grounds. She'd decided to put off leaving simply because she didn't want to be wet and cold.

"It's awful." Yukina agreed. "The storms this winter have been so terrible. Have you ever seen a winter this bad?"

"Not here. No." Shinpi's tone turned distracted, her eyes pinching slightly as her mind whirred to life with a battery of thoughts.

"It might be a while before everything clears up. I know we didn't leave much food. I didn't know the weather was going to turn." Yukina sighed heavily. "I'm so sorry. If I had known I'd have prepared for your stay better."

"We'll survive. I should get off the phone. Kurama is going to need to check in with his mother and work." Shinpi explained, still in her head. "Don't worry about us. Just keep yourselves safe and warm."

Kuwabara's voice sounded and then replaced Yukina's as she ducked off the line for him. "Hey, Hichi! We'll be okay. We have plenty of food and stuff. The power is going in and out though. So who won your fight?"

"You idiots were making bets on me again." She told him slyly, knowing it was true immediately. "Whose side were you on, dear Kazuma? Did you really bet against your teacher? Would you break my heart this way?"

"Of course not! I knew you could take them." He boasted.

"Unfortunately, maybe you shouldn't have so much faith in me. I bested Hiei but Kurama took me out." Shinpi rubbed her neck. "I admire you for withstanding his rigorous training for the Dark Tournament. No wonder you're so strong."

Kurama glanced her way, surprised. He had never told her about that. Green eyes shifted to Hiei who answered his silent question with a shrug. What else had Hiei told her about him? He didn't like the idea that she was getting secondhand accounts of his history. Not that he had any room for throwing stones. He had, after all, collected a binder full of her history before they'd had a chance to become real friends. That binder remained in his keep, just in case. Still.

"I'll win next time though." Shinpi promised with conviction. "Everyone has a weakness that can be exploited. I'll find his."

"She will." Hayato kept his voice low to avoid distracting her from her conversation, his words for Kurama. "It's what she does."

"Your cookies are burning." Kurama told him coolly. The raven turned around with doubt but then swore quietly as he opened the oven and smoke poured out.

Shinpi hung up the phone and turned to the room with an apologetic wince. "So, as it turns out we're stranded. Apparently the trains are down and the city is getting buried. We must be on the outer edge of the storm at the moment. They think it might even be a few days."

"How strange." Kurama frowned.

"Indeed." Shinpi agreed. "I'm going to get dressed to take a walk around the grounds."

Hayato watched her go, brow creased. He glanced at Hiei who was still looking in the direction she had left. He pulled the apron off, leaving it on the counter, and set it on the counter before turning off the oven and leaving the burnt cookies in their pan on the stove top. Without a word he moved to follow Shinpi with a look of knowing consternation. Hiei allowed him to go without intervening.

"We were snowed in just a few weeks ago." Kurama explained to Hiei. "It has been a particularly brutal winter."

Hiei nodded without comment. Then he got to his feet and pushed his hands into his pockets moving to leave the room. "She's right, you should check in with your other life Kurama."

* * *

Shinpi stood in the frigid open air staring out over the rolling grounds. The snow reached her shins and at this rate, it would be up to her thighs by the next morning. There hadn't been a prediction for a storm, she'd checked. A chance squall blowing in from the mountains wasn't outside the realm of possibility so she hadn't questioned the night before, when the wind had howled and beaten against the windows as she'd laid against Kurama. A full blown blizzard though? This should have been brewing for days. The news would have mentioned it.

She had convinced everyone to come to the temple this weekend specifically because the weather wasn't supposed to sour. Kurama had been missing so much work, she was worried he would get reprimanded. That job tied to his stepfather and therefore his family. She did not want him suffering their disappointment because he kept getting caught in her orbit during these disasters.

Now she wondered where this storm had come from. It was thick, strong, and steady. But it's existence made no sense to her.

"I know that look." Hayato spoke from beside her, standing strong despite the freezing temperatures. He wore his usual clothing, tunic and trousers and tall boots, but he also had a thick jacket pulled on over them, his wings collapsed inward against his skin to become those alluring tattoos once more. On one hip rested his short sword, and across his broad back waited his staff.

"This storm isn't natural." Shinpi looked away from him and turned her attention skyward. "I can't pinpoint the center. It's not moving like it should. I'm going to start paying more attention to the weather patterns."

She started walking and he followed.

"What are we looking for?" He asked curiously.

"Signs of someone else being here besides us."

Hayato stopped, his brow crinkling with worry. "Hichi."

"You can go inside." She told him without little inflection. "I'll be fine. I'm just going to do a quick perimeter check."

"Hichi." He repeated her name and she halted in her tracks, back facing him. Finally she looked over her shoulder at him, her head protected by a thick beanie. Her jacket was buttoned to the very top, Hiei's scarf wrapped around her neck. Hayato stared at her. She stared back.

"Who do you think is waiting for you out here?" He demanded quietly as the snow drifted between them, a biting wind sweeping over the ground. She didn't react to the cold. She only looked away from him to assess the path she'd chosen.

Hayato had known Amon-Shinpi since she was barely done being a child. He had seen her in nearly every possible state of emotion more than once. He could name their cities, trace the paths around Sayol with her in his sleep if asked. That's why the look in her eyes bothered him so much. Cold, detached, resolute. The expression she donned when she knew something unsettling. When she came to grips with the fact she was the only one who would be able to accept a truth. Those were the eyes she bore when she abdicated to fight Mukuro. They were the eyes she had when she accepted the crown following her parents' funeral. He had learned that the look in her eyes meant it was time to face something insurmountable while hiding the pain.

Except nothing was here. There was no enemy. No war. No crown. No fight to be had.

Her hand came free from her pocket to rise to brush over the hair raised on the back of her neck. That familiar sensation of being watched. Her eyes scanned the lands, narrowed. Her shoulder ached, she wanted to roll it. That strange tic she'd developed when Hiei watched her so harshly in the beginning. The hand fell away from her neck and she remained fixed in place.

"I don't know." She answered finally, her voice carrying through the gusts without distorting.

There was a way to find out she decided.

Her aura exploded, throwing itself outward in a wide net of power until she couldn't cast it any further. She did not let the effort show. Hayato stepped back with one foot, as if he had to brace himself. When he looked at her, his eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. She wanted to offer him the slightest prideful smile in her arsenal. _That__'s right, little bird. I am as mighty as ever if not moreso. Feel me._ Inside of these new boundaries she brought the wind to a stop. It listened to her. She didn't see the world from her one vantage point then, but felt it through her newly set perimeter. The snow swirled at her call when she bid it to move, though that required a little more focus, more effort. Ice wasn't as easy to manipulate as water for her. Upwards, upwards she sent her probing power, testing the storm itself, prodding at it's heart.

The sensation of being watched persisted.

Her eyes again turned skyward and she bared her teeth at the heavy clouds. They moved, slowly albeit, as she commanded. She released her web and her energy dissipated, fizzling to nothing as the storm returned to it's course. When her energy disappeared so did the tickle on her nape. Frustration bit through her.

Nothing.

No one.

This was so confusing.

"Hichi there is no one here." Hayato told her, stressed. A singular raven flew to him, landing on his shoulder. It was a poofy ball of feathers to keep from the cold. It watched her as he watched her. "I have eyes everywhere. I would have known if someone was close."

She bought her hand to cover her face. This wasn't right. She knew it wasn't right. She knew.

"What the hell was that?" Hiei's voice demanded as he sprung into existence at Shinpi's side, sliding to a stop through the slush created by his nature. He spun around, quickly assessing their surroundings before turning back to the woman. His Jagan was open, his bandana clutched in a tight fist. "I was nearly to the mountains when I felt that outburst."

"Oh." She blinked and then felt like a fool. "Of course, you were out here too. I hadn't realized."

Hiei turned to Hayato for an explanation but the raven stared at Shinpi as though she'd done something concerning. His lips pressed together, his brows pulled downward. Then he forced himself to loosen under Hiei's scrutiny, but his eyes weren't as easy for him to control as the rest of his body. His eyes were dark.

"I think I'm just tired." Shinpi told Hiei, reaching over to touch his arm. The words felt impossibly true suddenly. Maybe she'd overdone it because now her muscles felt weak, her head felt a little strange. It was probably time to actually sleep. "I'm jumping at shadows. I'm sorry I worried you."

"That wasn't an accident." Hiei watched her carefully. "You stopped the wind for miles, Shinpi."

"An overreaction." She assured him, shaking her head. "I think the last few months are finally catching up to me. I'm so tired suddenly. I think I've overexerted myself. It's making me overly cautious."

"What were you trying to do?" He stepped closer to her, head bowed to hers. He watched the snow melt between them as he studied the ground, his concern manifesting into his heat. It was only then that he realized she wasn't melting into his warmth like usual. "Shinpi, what is going on in that head of yours?"

"The wrong theory." She confessed, embarrassed. "I thought someone was watching us, that's all. I felt another presence out here. It was just you, darling. Like I said, I must just be exhausted, my mind is connecting the wrong dots. We weren't supposed to get snow and then we get this massive storm and it all feels unnatural to me. Not everything is a sinister puzzle for me to solve, I have to remember that."

He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. Cheek pressing to her head he looked to Hayato, matching the raven's mild concern with his own. He hadn't realized how bad off she'd allowed herself to get. Maybe it was for the best they were trapped up here away from her notes and books and life. She needed time to be free. Hayato shared his thoughts it seemed because he nodded in a small motion. Hiei could draw comfort from the fact that between himself, Hayato and Kurama Shinpi would feel safe enough to relax. Maybe she'd get more than a scarce handful of hours of sleep. She lifted her face and pressed her frozen lips to his and finally she seemed thaw, shivering as though her body had only just remembered it was standing in subfreezing temperatures.

"If you're done wreaking havoc, go inside. Get warm." Hiei urged her, unable to look away from her eyes. "I'll do a sweep of the grounds just to be sure. Your instincts are strong, Shinpi. If you think someone was out here maybe they were."

"I didn't find them." Shinpi frowned. "Just you. There's no one here, Hiei. I'm just unraveling. Hayato checked too."

"Well do it inside where I don't have to worry about you dying of exposure." He nodded toward the temple. "You're not built for this weather, princess. Take the royal guard and get warm."

"Alright." She nodded. "I think you're right."

Before she could turn though he brought himself closer to her. "Shinpi, if something is going on you can tell me. Even if it's just a theory. Even if you haven't put all together yet."

Her smile killed his worry because it was honest, but tired.

"Thank you darling." She kissed him again, softly but with feeling. "Don't stay out for too long or I'll worry about you. I know you're durable but my nerves are a little sensitive today, apparently."

"I can capitalize on that." His breath warmed her ear. "Later, maybe after you rest so I can exhaust you all over again."

Her lips pulled to the left and she eyed him, raking her gaze over his form even though it was hidden by his cloak. He felt that stare like nails sliding over his skin. He almost told Hayato to leave so they could settle this here and now, but he suspected the snow wouldn't set the mood he wanted. Even if he was more than enough to heat her up. Shinpi pulled away from his hands and licked her lips for him to see before she trudged her way back to her raven who rolled his eyes.

"Make sure she actually sleeps." Hiei called through the wind before flitting away once again. He used the Jagan and studied every inch of the grounds. He scoured it all from the tops of the mountains to the base of the swamps. He found some demons, but they had been here since his first visit. Nothing that would upset Shinpi to the point of throwing her weight around so grandly.

What the hell had she sensed out here that could make her react that way? He'd never seen her throw her energy so wide before, with so much control and intention. It had struck him between the shoulder blades and in the chest when she'd done it. Alarming was the best way to describe the sensation. Overwhelming force there and then gone, a breath held in his lungs as she stilled the air flow. Until he'd seen her standing in the snow he'd assumed she'd been under attack, reaching for him. While he was glad that wasn't the case, he was going to have sit down and talk to her about her habits. If she was running herself this ragged then something needed to change.

* * *

Kurama panted, sequestered in the training room with the door locked so he could be alone. Sweat beaded on his neck, slipping down his spine. He hadn't brought clothes with him for this. He hadn't expected to throw himself into physical activity. He'd only planned on proving his point and then leaving.

"_I'm hungry to fight you again."_

Kurama swallowed, eyes fierce as he fixated on an imaginary opponent. His whip lashed through the air and he followed a scattered path around the room, chasing shadows. He shouldn't be breathing this heavily yet. He shouldn't have soaked through his shirt with sweat so soon. He really had fallen behind the pack. He was alone in here, it was okay to show fatigue. But he, out of the entire world, wanted to see it the least so he would have to hide it where even he couldn't find it. The only way to hide it would be to get rid of it entirely.

He had to get back to his old self. His whip cracked like thunder, breaking through the air without remorse. He sprang forward and slid across the ground in a crouch. He didn't even know who he was pretending to fight.

"_You didn__'t enjoy fighting me?_"

For his sake and no one else's he had to improve. He had let this slip for too long. Human life had made him docile. He'd forgotten what it was like to face a powerful opponent. Chasing Shinpi through the woods had been a biting reminder. And then that eruption of her energy that had nearly made him drop his teacup, gluing him in place as it washed over him so completely. She was on his side. Imagine if that wasn't true, Kurama. Imagine she was the enemy. Would you have survived then? He'd felt her aura when she'd pulsed it outward. That encompassing sense of power. What if that had been weaponized against him? What if she'd been in the mindset to kill him during their fight, would he have been strong enough to win?

"_It would be easier for me to call on you if I knew your limits were as boundless as mine.__"_

What if someone attacked his mother? Would he strong enough to push them back, to keep her safe? If a demon more powerful than Hiei descended, would he be able to stand against them? Or would he be helpless, begging his friends for help? What sort of demon was he?

"_I'll be very patient."_

But would his enemies? Likely not. He had to stay ahead of them. All the wits in the world wouldn't protect him from sheer force. If he couldn't keep up he might as well drop out, but there was no way he would do that. Giving up on staying at the top would mean he would have to bow out as useful member of their group. It would mean he had to admit he couldn't defend those he cared for.

Not an option.

So he could deal with the sweat corroding his pride for now. It wouldn't be long until he was capable of feats even greater than he'd ever accomplished before. He never did anything half-way. Failure wasn't in his vocabulary.

He stumbled over his own feet as he came to a sudden stop, a soft knock at the door jarring him back into reality.

"I know you want to do this alone." Shinpi spoke, her tone gentle through the locked door. "But that doesn't mean I can't support you. You need to eat and drink to stay strong, Kurama. I'm leaving water and a small snack for you. You've been in there for two hours at least."

He walked to the door and pulled it open, unable to pretend he wasn't already spent. He caught Shinpi as she crouched to leave a burdened tray on the floor. Now Shinpi stood with blue eyes peering up at him through her lashes with a soft expression. She didn't comment on his state. His hand gripped the frame of the door more harshly than necessary.

"I told you if you pester me-" He began. She raised a hand to cut him off.

"I'm not here to spy." She assured him. "I just want to make sure you take care of yourself."

He squinted at her, looking for signs of deception.

"Don't look at me like that." She pouted. "I'm trying to be a good friend."

He softened. "I'm used to you being stubborn, I'm sorry. Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

It was then, when he scanned down her he realized she was swathed in his borrowed sweater. The sight of it swallowing her frame made him remember Hiei's comment and his reluctant agreement that she did look rather nice in his clothes. A pity, really.

"That's my sweater." He commented lightly, meaning it only as a small reminder.

Shinpi shirked into the garment as though she feared he might take it from her. Her nose ducked below the neckline and she grew adorably small as he watched. The sleeves swallowed her hands, not rolled up. It fell to her thighs. Honestly, it could have been a dress on her if it were tailored properly. He made his peace with the fact that from her expression he was bidding yet another sweater goodbye.

"I need it." She told him quietly. "Just for another night. I had a weird afternoon and it calms me. I like the way it smells."

Kurama swallowed thickly.

"I'll give it back tomorrow. It won't smell as nice then." She explained. Then, as an afterthought. "Thank you for letting me borrow it."

"You're welcome." He nodded, ignoring the fact she hadn't actually asked him if she could keep it for another day. He stepped over the threshold a half-step, really studying her then. "Hichi, are you-"

"Drink your water." She demanded before turning on heel and fleeing.

Kurama stared where she'd been standing before slowly turning his head the direction she'd gone. When she'd come back from her week with Hiei her eyes had been clear. The clearest he'd seen a while. They skin underneath had looked healthy, rested. Now she looked like she hadn't slept in a week. Maybe she hadn't. Hiei had told him that she'd never really gotten rest the night of her raid on the brothel. Knowing her meticulous nature, she had spent hours submerged in paperwork on her own time. He hadn't noticed, in the heat of their fight, if she'd been this exhausted.

"I'm going to ask you again later!" He called after her as a warning that she couldn't run from him forever. The only time she hightailed it from him when he asked if she was okay was when she decidedly was not.

He picked up the tray she'd left behind and brought it into the training room with him. Honestly, that woman. She spent too much time worrying about everyone around her instead of tending to herself.

* * *

Kurama squeezed his wet hair with his towel, wringing the moisture out of crimson strands as he moved down the hall. Hayato walked toward him, eyes closed.

"Oh, Hayato." Kurama stopped. The raven stopped too, his expression neutral. "Could we talk? There were some questions I was hoping you'd answer for me."

"No." The raven's single syllable dismissal earned a long blink from Kurama.

"Can I ask why?" The redhead asked with his own guarded neutrality.

"I don't like you." Hayato stated simply. It was as though he were dropping his own name. "We have nothing to discuss."

"I beg your pardon?" Taken aback, Kurama pulled himself back slightly. He had no expected that sort of candid response.

"I'm pretty sure you heard me." Hayato continued to stand in the hall, his stance loose and open. "I don't particularly care for you. As far as I'm concerned we have nothing to say to each other."

"Well now I have different questions." Kurama stiffened. "Have I done something to you?"

Hayato rolled his eyes and looked around. After a few seconds he allowed himself to turn back to Kurama. "No."

"So, it's just principle that makes you dislike me." The redhead's tone shifted to mild annoyance. "You have no basis whatsoever for feeling this way and yet you won't even speak to me about it."

Shinpi opened a door and stepped into the hall, notebook in hand. She stopped as she saw the two of them together and instantly a smile broke out on her face. Hayato visibly relaxed at the expression.

"This is nice." She told them both, looking between them. "Having you all here together is such a treat. What are you two up to?"

"Hayato was just about to come have a conversation with me." Kurama announced, pinning the raven with a stare. It was underhanded sure, but he knew Hayato wouldn't dare contradict him in front of Shinpi. He also knew that once she expressed any hint of excitement over them bonding he'd follow through with the charade to make her happy. "I thought it would be nice if the two of us finally got to know one another. We haven't really spent time together and given how important he is to you, I'd like to learn more about him."

"That makes me happy." Shinpi's grin broadened. She turned to the taller of the two men, beaming. "I'm glad you're opening up to the others, Hai."

"Me too." He smiled at her but the second she turned back to Kurama he shot the dirtiest look he could muster toward the redhead.

"Before we go," Kurama reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her cheek, "are you doing better? Earlier you seemed a little off."

"Yes, I'm feeling much better. I think I just needed some sleep and to jot my day down." She held up the notebook for them to see. When Kurama's attention lingered on it she moved it behind her back. He raised an eyebrow. "Did drink your water?"

"Of course." He nodded with a warm smile. "You went through all the effort of taking care of me, how could I let that be wasted?"

"Good." She looked back to Hayato. Her hand reached up to touch his cheek gently. "You need more sleep. Don't stay up too late talking to Kurama. I know he can be an entrancing conversationalist but try to remember to rest."

"You give me too much credit." Kurama laughed.

"She sure does." Hayato muttered. Kurama glared at him. Shinpi didn't seem to hear, or if she had she didn't react. "You should go back to sleep. You didn't sleep nearly enough last night. I suppose our special conversationalist is to blame for that."

"I'm not quite ready to sleep yet, but I'll let you two get on with it. I think you two might become good friends." Her hands reached out and took one of each of theirs, offering a squeeze before she released them. "Goodnight boys."

"Goodnight." They replied in unison, each with a smile. The minute she was out of ear shot they turned back to each other.

"Let's do this in the reading room." Kurama suggested, his smile a warning. "Out of the way. We wouldn't want to wake our darling Hichi if we were to get into a disagreement. No need to worry her over such small matters."

Hayato responded by marching off toward their destination. Kurama followed at a more leisurely pace now that he had the raven where he wanted him. This was meant to be a friendly chat. He had just wanted to pry into Hayato's relationship with Shinpi. Now he had a vendetta and that was oh so unfortunate for the _little bird_. No wonder it had taken Hiei so long to tolerate the man. He'd chalked it up to Hiei being standoffish as usual but now he suspected Hayato's attitude had a lot to do with it.

"You know, it was in this room a few short years ago that I had my first sincere conversation with Hichi." Kurama spoke as he closed the door behind himself, trapping Hayato in the room with him. "She sat in that window reading a book not saying a word to me. I learned a lot about her that day. I think if we had not had that moment I might not have become her friend so quickly or so closely. Maybe we'll experience a similar joining of fates."

"What do you want?" Hayato demanded without preamble.

Kurama simply looked him over then moved to one of the chairs while Hayato remained standing. "I want you to tell me about yourself. That's all."

"Why?"

"We both obviously care very deeply for-"

"No." Hayato cut him off with a wave of his hand. "You don't get to try and use my love for Amon-Shinpi against me. You and I liking each other has nothing to do with me caring for her."

He went for the door and before he could reach it Kurama's voice snaked out, cool and firm.

"I want to know what she sees in you."

Hayato stilled and glanced to the chair. He regarded the man coiled there. By any other's account Kurama might have just been sitting, knee over knee, but Hayato had lived with Shinpi for too long to not recognize a predator's stance when it appeared. This wasn't a conversation it was a hostage situation and the fox wasn't going to let him go until he got what he wanted. He stepped back from the door, fueled by curiosity.

"You're right, we don't have to like each other." Kurama explained simply. "But you should admit to yourself that knowing each other makes caring for her easier, does it not? She hasn't told me much about you. I don't know how much you've heard about me. Things would be easier for us if we came to an understanding."

Hayato walked closer to Kurama until he was standing before him, peering down into those dangerously lit forest green eyes. Then he leaned over the redhead a bit, imposing in his stature. Kurama stared back, unflinching and unmoved.

"This isn't about taking care of her, this is about you." Hayato cut through the facade with the precision of a surgeon slicing through tissue. Kurama felt his eyes widen against his will. He hadn't expected to be called out so quickly. "This is about something you need to know about Hichi."

Those dark eyes shone and for a moment, Hayato seemed to be impressively large as he leered over Kurama. His presence grew, much like Shinpi's seemed to in moments of heightened emotion. Kurama was not so easily intimidated, his chin remaining level, his gaze steady. This was a battle of wills. So be it. If Hayato wanted to pretend he could read Kurama then fine. Kurama would play along. He would let the raven think he had sniffed out the deeper truth and he would use that like he used his roses.

He might not be at the top of his physical prime, but Kurama would never be bested when it came to a game of any kind.

"Last night I asked her why she was so comfortable bathing with you because I find it incredibly odd. It's outside of my understanding." Kurama explained as Hayato continued to loom over him. "I can't quite grasp it, nor can I grasp why Hiei tolerates it. Her response was that you two were simply family. The leaves fall and you are at her side, that's what she said."

Kurama reached up and very carefully plucked a stray hair off of the sleeve of the shirt under Hayato's tunic. He studied the dark hair before allowing it fall to the floor.

"She was mostly asleep so I can't attest for how true the words might be," he went on, "but she finished all this by saying you were the only part of her she loved. That sparked my genuine curiosity. So here we are, having a conversation about what Hichi sees in you and why she doesn't see it in herself."

Hayato sneered and pulled away from Kurama, he turned around a few feet away so he could once again gesture to the fox. "I hate that you use that name for her. I do not understand why she offered it so freely to a bunch of beings she barely knew."

"Because it endeared her to us faster. When we all met, Hichi was playing a game of survival. You have to understand she came to us ready to die. It was only through very careful work on our parts, growth on hers, that she learned to trust us. From the very beginning we were all caught up in a game of her creation, meant to further herself until she could find her sword and eventually find her way back to Hiro to end things. She never intended to stay with us. The name was probably meaningless for the fact she hadn't meant for it to matter long." Kurama explained calmly. "But it started to matter, because her life regained meaning. She took Kuwabara on as a pupil. She helped Yusuke and Keiko work out their proposal. She started to bond with Hiei. And she found kinship in me, the only other person in this world who could even remotely relate to her situation."

Hayato squinted, attempting to read through Kurama's words for any sign of malevolence or deception. Any hint the other man was manipulating him. Kurama watched him struggle for a few seconds which stretched into a minute, the raven licking his lips as he visibly replayed what he'd just heard.

"She doesn't tell me about it."

The words fell between the two men, landing with the weight of a building dropping. Kurama's brows pulled down, he leaned forward. Hayato didn't seem to like his keen interest as he narrowed his eyes once again, holding his gaze. Then he looked away, tracing cobwebs in the upper right corner of the room with his eyes. Kurama opened his mouth but didn't get the chance to speak.

"She doesn't tell me what it was like." Hayato continued evenly, but his expression betrayed him. Kurama could see the suppressed spark of intrigue in his eyes. "I know the facts. I know that she faced Hiro alone, impaired. I know she died. I know she was reborn here, in this world, in that body. I know she lost her new mother to violence and her new father to her own temper. I know she plotted her revenge and she made a connection Sachiko. I know she was careful to not be discovered. And I know she met all of you, which led her back to me. I know the facts, Kurama. I have the bones of her story."

"But not the meat." Kurama guessed, the corner of his mouth threatening to tick upwards in malicious victory. He had Hayato where he wanted him. He alone could offer the tengu the flesh and blood of Shinpi's story. Hiei would never sit down to explain it to him, and even if he did there was so much Hiei hadn't been there for, so much Shinpi hadn't told him too. No. Kurama held the answer key to this particular riddle, the morsels he craved.

Faster than to any of the others, more deeply, Shinpi had opened up to him. When she walled herself in against the others who demanded too much from her too fast she still let him saunter through her gates. In the moments where she struggled to allow connections to be built, pulling away from the others to sit alone in her chair even when her living room was full of people, she told him to stay. When Yusuke was with Keiko, when Kuwabara was studying, when Hiei was in Demon World serving Mukuro, he was the one who came to see her. He would have never gotten that far if it hadn't been for accidentally uncovering her secret so early on. He'd earned her trust not because he'd given her the portrait of her son or because he listened to her talk, he knew she'd leaned into him because he had done what she never expected him to do.

He'd kept quiet about it.

The one thing she didn't want anyone else to know, the thing that could be used to destroy her, he held it in his chest and let it rest there. Him choosing to not exploit her weakness had surprised her. Which is what he'd needed to happen.

Shinpi had been pushing them all through a ruse, using them as a means to an end but she wasn't the only strategist in the fold. He had his own game to play, to win. Hiei going to bat for her had sparked his interest. He wanted to know what the fire demon had seen. Her history had made him wonder what she capable of. Shinpi not offering anything of herself had tugged at his bandit's spirit in earnest. If he saw a lock he wanted to pick it. If there was a code he wanted to break it. If there was something of value his fingers itched with the urge to pocket it. From the beginning it had been obvious that she held him in high suspicion. She knew his tricks. She toyed with him.

On the steps of Genkai's temple, before the flowers and the sword, she had deceived him into thinking he'd given away Hiei's powers. She'd put him on the spot with such ease, giving nothing away even when he asked pointed questions. She quipped with him, blushing like a school girl caught by her crush when her wry words had left her mouth. _"You'd be lucky to hold me at all_." In the moment it had struck him as interesting but not alarming that she had not reacted the way he'd hoped to his psuedo-flirtations.

Her planting those damn flowers by her gate, undermining his ability to track her, had been a direct challenge. He knew it now. She had been testing his reaction to see what he would do. If he would comment on it. How he'd react. In the moment he'd been thrown, but not enough to dig deeper. If he'd been a little more suspicious he may have caught her then. She'd probably have talked her way out it like she'd talked her way under the radar before.

From the very start she had cupped them all in her palm and had rolled them like weighted dice. Their interactions had all been a farce. In the Spirit World cell she'd been cast into, chained and abused by Hiei's temper, she'd plainly disregarded his attempt to help her. She admitted she'd been watching him for some time when she told him she knew of his tricks. Another blow to his ego, as he had never once bothered to notice her. In that cell though she gave away something, and he was the one to understand what it meant. Her calling in Kuwabara to berate him was an opening in her defenses. A crack in her armor.

It was a slivered view into her vault before it slammed closed once again.

That view had hooked him.

She didn't want them to see her. She wanted to keep them all at arm's length doing the minimum to earn their trust, just enough, to get her work done. She only gave enough to get what she wanted in return. She didn't want them to matter to her. She didn't want friends. She didn't want to want to live. She didn't want any of it. And Kurama knew that. He'd known that from the minute she refused his help in the cell. There was absolutely nothing in her that had any urge to be on their side. So she kept herself hidden. The Shinpi she showed them was cold, calculating, indifferent, calloused.

She should have never asked Kuwabara to speak to her. That display of empathy had cost her everything. That glimpse of what truly lie beneath her veneer had been blood in the water, he the shark. The fact she'd shuttered it so quickly had only enticed him further. With every insidious beat of his thief's heart he wanted to pry her open and take whatever he saw fit. Not because he particularly liked her, because at the time he didn't, but because she was working so hard to hide it all. He wouldn't have cared, or noticed, if she hadn't made that one soft mistake. It was then he knew that he _had_ to earn her trust.

He just had to find a way to open her up. He had to find a way to undo the damage of Hiei's instigation so he could steal through her defenses. They had common ground, he'd been intending to leverage that play. But then he'd discovered Kin Jiro and it has shocked him. It had shocked them both, really. He hadn't expected such an outpouring of emotion and he certainly hadn't expected to feel so emotionally strangled by her expression. This wasn't just a glimpse, this was the vault door swinging wide open, the treasures inside on full display if only for a few minutes. He'd been so caught off guard he hadn't been able to act. All he could do was use it to fulfill Yukina's request.

But that too had worked in his favor. Holding Shinpi's secret close as though it were his own, which it became very quickly, and only asking in return that she do something for someone she already held dear had given him the first number to her combination. Her suspicion of him lessened. What had been a game escalated into something too real for him. He grew too attached. It was his own mistake for actually realizing he _enjoyed_ Shinpi's company. Once again, though in an entirely different way, she held him in her palm. They were friends, deeply and honestly. When Shinpi needed someone she reached out to him with greedy hands, yanking at his own defenses until they came apart and let her inside. He hadn't intended to grow fond of her.

He'd known she wanted to die. Stopping her wasn't in his plan at first. All he wanted was to prove he could plant himself in her trust and use that to learn what he could from her. It wasn't his job to keep her alive. He didn't understand why Hiei was so staunchly repelled by the idea of her death. They didn't know her. There was no bond there.

And then she'd cried about her son. She teased Hiei while spritely flitting out of his reach. She smiled and meant it.

Truly, opening her vault had been a mistake because it caught his attention. Actually looking at why lie waiting behind the door had been his own fatal error.

It wasn't long after that he found the idea of her marching off to die left a foul coating on his tongue. He knew he couldn't allow it. Hiei wanted to deny her, but Kurama guessed that a woman like Shinpi wouldn't heed commands. The only way they were going to keep her safe from herself was if they gave her something she couldn't leave behind without guilt. A guilt stronger than what had burrowed in her bones.

They had to do more than befriend her.

They had to drag her kicking and screaming into a new sense of family. It was the only way. In order to accomplish such a feat he knew he had to dig deeper, learn more. He had to became her favored confidant. A pillar in her life. He invited her to his home to meet his human family, an act of trust that had frightened her so badly at first she refused to go. Three times. And afterward she didn't talk to him for a week, she was so angry with him that he'd dare expose the ones he loved to her. She was a threat. How could he be so careless?

Her door opened another inch when he told her very simply, _"It's not careless. You won't hurt them or use them against me. We're the same in that way. We both value our families too much to ever use someone else's as a weapon."_

She'd been appalled.

But she'd started calling him when she was in trouble. She showed up at his house completely out of the blue looking for nothing more than quiet companionship. The entire time she was in his room all she did was sit on his bed and read a book, taking notes. That was it. But that was enough. It opened the door for more interactions, for more trust, for more secrets.

All of this meant that Kurama alone was in the position to trade with Hayato.

"I could tell you about her time with us, at least what I know of it." Kurama offered without a smile. "More than the facts."

Hayato stared at him, guarded. "And in return you want me to divulge her secrets."

"Not hers. Yours." Kurama amended for him. "I sincerely just want to learn more about you. She holds you in such high regard. After everything that happened she welcomed you back with open arms. I'd like to know why. Whatever the reason is, it's enough that Hiei doesn't feel the need to question it."

Hayato looked to the door then back to Kurama, weighing his options.

The fox waited for his prey to accept his fate. The best part of this was that he didn't have to give anything away really. He just had to tell Hayato the story of Shinpi. It wouldn't require parting with any secrets or exposing anything best left covered.

"Fine." Brown eyes narrowed as broad shoulders pulled back, arms crossing over a wide chest.

Kurama smiled, eyes glittering with delight. "Perfect. Let's begin."

"Alright." Hayato nodded before flashing a dizzyingly familiar grin. Kurama reeled back from it physically, shifting in his chair until his shoulders bet the cushions. If he didn't know better he'd have been fooled into thinking the raven and Shinpi were blood relatives. "But I have some conditions."

"What conditions?" Kurama frowned, the sense of victory draining some.

"I want to know about you too. You told Hichi we would be swapping stories. You don't want me to tell her you're a liar, do you?" Hayato continued to leer with that damned expression. His chin tucked down slightly. Again Kurama knew the pose because it was one of aggressive defiance that Shinpi often took. "After all, we both care so deeply for her. That's what this is about, right? Us opening up to each other. Making sure we can _trust_ one another to keep her safe."

This was not at all what Kurama wanted to do. He didn't want to open up his life to this bird. This wasn't meant to be an even exchange. He should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

Hayato had made the point several times that he'd grown up at Shinpi's side. Now Kurama questioned which of them influenced the other's behavior. Was that Shinpi shining through in Hayato or was it Hayato who came through in her at times?

"There are certain things I won't tell you." Kurama let him know, offering some resistance. "I have my boundaries. As long as you don't cross one of them I'll answer your questions."

"Perfect. Let's begin." Hayato moved, pulling another armchair from it's spot so he could face Kurama. For a moment he assessed the man before him, long red hair hanging loose, knee over knee, hands placed in a mockery of ambivalence, then he sank down into his chosen seat and mimicked Kurama's body language.

He had learned several useful things from Shinpi during their lives together.

How to crawl under the skin of a formidably adversary didn't even make the cut to be in the top ten.

"How did you meet Hichi?" Hayato asked with a smile.

"We went to school together as children." Kurama responded airily. "I barely noticed her though. We only had one memorable encounter, in my opinion. We went to the same college years later. I didn't even remember it was her at first. We had one class together during our last year, and she approached me outside one day to warn me about Hiei. I didn't know at the time it was a ploy for her to earn my good graces, but I'm not sorry I fell for it."

Hayato nodded. This aligned with the facts that had been laid out for him.

"You have a human family, don't you?" The raven already knew the answer. He also knew he was digging a little close to one of Kurama's hard boundaries. Shinpi had warned him long before not to invoke the fox's mother with any hint of maliciousness. With this in mind he delivered the question, as dangerous as it might be, with the slightest air of kindness.

Green eyes darkened chin tucking downward toward his chest as Kurama sat on his response. There was no attempt to hide his immediate distrust. Seeming larger than he was, his presence swelling in the wake of his defensiveness. Hayato remained the same, regarding the fox with only that satisfied grin lighting his face. He was not afraid. Kurama hated that he wasn't earning a reaction but he suspected that the raven's inflated sense of victory had to do with the truth that locked them in this room together.

Neither of them would act against the other unless positively provoked because there was another presence that filled the spaces between them, protecting and simultaneously limiting them. Even when she wasn't there Shinpi held a command over each of the men. It was true, what Kurama had said earlier. They both cared very deeply for the woman, but the flip side of that was that she just as deeply for them. That was enough to keep this civil. The threat of violating that soft connection stayed them both for now.

"Yes." Kurama answered with a sneer. "I do."

"She likes your mother."

Kurama's gaze lightened, his lips parting and the immediate change gave Hayato room to tilt his head without losing the edge he currently held over the other man. Eyes moving as though he were scanning a bank of data, Kurama thought for a second and then he relaxed and nodded. "I'm surprised she told you that."

"Do they know what you are?" Hayato wondered.

"No. And I hope it stays that way. Were someone to expose me I'm afraid I'd have to act as though my life were threatened." Kurama raised an eyebrow delicately.

"Did Hichi's family know about her?"

Kurama frowned. "No, I don't believe they did. As far as I'm aware no one other than Genkai knew before we found out."

Hayato nodded, tucking that away. So far Kurama had been honest with him. This was all information he'd already learned. He just wanted to set a baseline for how trustworthy the fox's answers would be. Now he dove into uncharted territory. "How did you meet Hiei?"

Leaning back in his chair, Kurama looked up to the ceiling to collect his memories so he could water them down to offer just enough information to keep the raven happy. "He attacked me when I was fourteen because he thought I was someone else. We worked together a few times after that until I chose to walk away when I finally found what I wanted."

"You just left him behind?"

"At the time he wasn't himself. Our goals were opposite ends of the spectrum in many ways. Namely, mine was so close I could taste it. There was no reason to continue with any sort of relationship with anyone for me."

Hayato searched his face, and then his expression turned plain. "You were planning to die."

"I didn't say that." Kurama stiffened. "How did you draw that conclusion?"

"You said there was no reason to continue any relationship. That would have included with your mother." Hayato gestured to him. "She seems quite important to you. I'm guessing this act of suicide was for her. Were you trying to protect her from yourself? Or was it something else? A demand of your life in exchange for hers? A powerful enemy you were going to appease any way you could?"

"You think just like her and quite frankly I do not care for it." The words were a quiet hiss, once again forest green eyes turned dark, the body wielding them growing taut.

"Not just like her." Hayato shook his head. "If I did, I'd be able to accept why she finds you so charming."

"Maybe it's because she sees a lot of herself in me." Kurama's terse response chilled the room. "I suppose that's why she folded into you so well too."

"Perhaps." Hayato allowed. "So, why are you alive if you had intended to die? A change of heart? Did you weigh the price of your life against that of your mothers and decide the exchange was uneven?"

"If you ever suggest I'd allow my mother to come to harm for my own benefit again I will expose you to levels of pain you lack the capacity to fathom, Hayato. Tread lightly." Kurama didn't hide his instant cold, calm fury. It shone in his eyes, wiped all expression from his face while clinging to the air around him. It lined the way his long fingers flexed outward toward the raven, the conversational gesture an obvious threat.

"So what was it then?"

"Yusuke." Kurama dropped the name, trying to keep his anger from tainting the syllables. "He was hunting me down and he uncovered my intentions. His intervention saved my life and my mother's."

"That's how you became friends?" Hayato seemed surprised. Yusuke had always seemed too loud and brash to him to be selfless. It had never occurred to him.

"How could I not repay such an important debt? If it weren't for Yusuke I wouldn't be here and I certainly wouldn't be the man I've become." Kurama explained. "His blind compassion and quick thinking changed my life, my entire world. It's an effect he has on many people."

Hayato, for the first time since the beginning of their conversation, looked away from Kurama's face to reconcile this information with his previous experiences. He cataloged it away. It was a sentiment he knew intimately. A rowdy, outspoken, fool-hardy optimist ruining someone's life by drawing them into their orbit? Sounded familiar.

"He hooked Hiei shortly after. He'd already earned Kuwabara's respect. We've all been friends ever since." Kurama shrugged, his words once again drawing Hayato's attention to him. "We've been through a lot together."

"Bonds like that run deep and hold strong." Hayato acknowledged without malice. "There are some beings who careen into our lives bringing chaos, but also the stability to get through it. Not everyone is fortunate enough to encounter those creatures, but we should both be thankful we were granted the pleasure."

Kurama agreed openly and full-heartedly. "I've been blessed to have two of them."

"Why did you accept Hichi?" He asked quietly, dangerously. "She was your enemy wasn't she? What would possess any of you to embrace her? I know how she can be."

"Hiei's the one ultimately responsible for saving her life, not me." Kurama explained. "He was the one who vouched for her. If it weren't for him she'd likely have been killed by Spirit World."

"I know that." Hayato leaned forward and it caused the light to reflect off his eyes in flash. "I'm asking you, specifically, why you accepted her."

Kurama held his tongue for a few seconds. How to best phrase this without giving too much away? What would be enough to get Hayato to accept his answer and also allow them to move onto their next topic? Kurama wanted to hear Hayato's story. He wanted to dig and scrounge in the raven's history until he could pluck out the pieces of Shinpi that wove through Hayato, and the strings of Hayato that tangled through her. He wanted to be able to find their seam, where they joined and thus where they separated. What he would do with that information he didn't know yet, but he wanted it.

"Because she surprised me." Kurama decided to give as much of the truth as he could without compromising himself too much. "She fooled me from the beginning, something few have been able to do. She played her game so well, so thoroughly and got everything she wanted from it. And then, when twists were thrown into her plan, she maneuvered around them with expert grace. I suppose it all boils down to the fact that I know when someone would make a better ally than enemy."

Hayato listened raptly, perched in his seat with dark eyes intensely probing against Kurama's explanation. He offered little in the way of reaction. Kurama hoped this was enough because he was growing impatient.

"Was she really intending to die?"

The question shocked Kurama. Well, not the question itself but the careful, searching voice that offered it. Hayato continued to stare at him, watching everything. Those dark eyes devoured all of his reactions looking for deeper meaning or deception it seemed. But his throat moved as he swallowed, his hands gripped each other with his fingers woven together, knuckles straining against skin, nails biting into the backs of his hands. Kurama felt a pang of remorse and pity well up for what he was about to say.

"Yes." He tried to deliver the news gently.

It didn't help. Hayato still closed his eyes as though he'd been screamed at, wincing. This was an obvious truth he didn't want to hear.

"She was drowning, Hayato. Her pain had grown too immense for her. After she died at Hiro's hands, she was born into another life decorated by loss and guilt. An abusive household, where she did her best to protect her mother but overall lacked the ability to save her. She believes Mirna died because of her, of her interference. She was the one who planted the idea of strength in the woman and when that flowered it was quickly cut down at the roots by her father. She was the sword that cut the man down and took their unhappy home down with him. It was on her doorstep that her beloved Sachiko died, attacked because someone was searching for Shinpi. There was nothing worth living for. All she wanted was to be done with her life and be reunited with her family." Kurama worked his voice into a tone of solace. He hadn't wanted to cut through the other man with this news. "A lesser being wouldn't have lived half as long as she did carrying that burden with her, you should know that. She wanted to die but she was going to do it on her terms or not at all."

"I should have found her sooner." Hayato kept himself quiet, distraught. "I should have looked harder. I should have thought of Kuya's children and the possibility. She shouldn't have had to face him on her own twice and she shouldn't have been buried alone."

The guilt in the words dripped into the air, bled into the room like a flood crashing against the shore.

"She could have died and I would have never known she had taken another breath." He bent forward hiding his face, his plaited hair falling over his shoulders, his pain radiating out from him as he curled inward, his hands coming up to his head to dig the nails into his scalp. Kurama stared at him struck and appalled. "All because of me. Because I wasn't strong enough to stop him the first time."

He was suddenly in Spirit World again, standing on the wrong side of a double-sided mirror looking into the cell of a broken woman who had compressed herself down to her smallest possible size. Nails dug into her scalp until blood crusted underneath, sobs cracking like thunder as Shinpi shook under the weight of her guilt and grief. A wailing creature unable to understand that they were not at fault for a tragedy. The sight had spurred him into action, forced him into Koenma's office to start lobbying for her protection and release. Even Hiei's sense of humanity had been jarred loose by the display.

Hiei had brought her to them in the first place, lying to cover her tracks so he could get a taste of the demon under her skin but it was Kurama and Yusuke who made sure she made it out of that cell. If it weren't Yusuke and himself she would have died and she wouldn't have cared less about it. She wanted someone to kill her, he could taste it when he was in the room with her.

He didn't tell Hayato this. He wasn't mindlessly cruel.

"No." Kurama's voice cut through the grief clogging the air.

"What?" Hayato lifted his face and Kurama was surprised to see wet tracks on his cheeks from where he'd been crying.

"No, it wasn't your fault. Shinpi made her choices and we both know you can't stop her once her mind is set." Kurama kept himself firm but not harsh. "She would be furious to see you right now, blaming yourself. You cannot be blamed for what you did not know, Hayato."

The raven regarded him and then started to wipe at his face with his palms. He sat back up but didn't look quite the same as before.

"And if you had died she would have had one less thing to live for. You coming back into her life is a blessing in her eyes. Don't taint that or you'll be the one at risk of ruining her happiness."

Hayato swallowed but he didn't argue. He also didn't agree. Kurama suspected this was a ongoing battle inside the raven that would take more than his words to end.

"Now, I've told you plenty I think." Kurama gestured loosely. "I think it's time for you to reciprocate, Hayato. Allow me the privilege of hearing your story."

"If you insist, but I doubt you'll get anything you want from it." Hayato acquiesced.

Kurama fought back a smile. He wasn't so sure the raven was right. That swell of victory rose in him again, the taste on the back of his tongue sweet. He leaned to the side with interest sparkling in his gaze as he cupped his chin in one of his palms fingers fanned over his mouth to cover the barest upwards twist of his lips. Knees crossed he waited eagerly, hungrily for the information coming his way.

Hayato's dark brown eyes weren't nearly as excited, his posture regaining some of it's strength as he pulled back in his chair, knees coming apart as he allowed his feet to rest flatly on the floor. He gestured loosely in the air, mouth neutral.

"I suppose we can start with the fact I was born on a mountain."


	9. Hayato

_**A/N: This chapter is insanely long and I am insanely tired, so enjoy. There are probably some typos but I**__**'ll try to go back and fix them later. If I don't post this now it'll take me another week. Goodnight world. Enjoy. **_

* * *

I didn't have a mother, none of us on the mountain did. I didn't even know women existed until I was an adult, so it was not something I missed or longed for until much later. In fact, I didn't care either way until I met Aiofe. Because of this I can't say for sure exactly how I came to be, only that one day I was.

I opened my eyes for the first time because there was sound and it roused me from what I think was a deep sleep. I discovered I had a body, that I wasn't just a thought hovering in warm air, because my limbs that moved when I moved and they were decidedly attached to me. I had wings that pressed around me, trembling with the urge to stretch beyond the confines of our haven. And I had the urge to breathe. I remember lifting my head from the tight ball I had rolled myself into, content in the warmth radiating through me, eyes open to see shadowy figures, blurry and loosely formed, through the wall of my shell.

Curiosity was my first emotion, and it drove me to move my arms toward those figures. An unstable feeling stole over me as my haven, or what I later learned was an egg, rocked. I wanted to get out. I touched the inside of the shell, not knowing what it was called, and found it hard, my fingers sliding off the slick interior. My hand pulled back, my body the one in control, fingers curling into my palm then suddenly forward it went, crashing into the that hard barrier with enough force that the contact echoed in my new ears. Over and over and over I kept hitting with both hands, tearing at the membrane with my teeth and fingers. I didn't think about it. It wasn't a decision I made, to be born, it was just something my being chose to do. My left fist broke through first.

The sounds were clearer and decidedly loud to me, the inside of the egg chilling as outside air seeped in and I experienced _wet _with a sense of mild discomfort. I did not like the feeling of being cold or how it clung to my damp skin. I wanted to be warm again. I kept digging my way toward the light and the voices outside of my now unlivable prison. There was no going back to the comfort I had once known, there was only going forward.

"Hayato, you're here."

I fell out of the hole I'd made, hitting the ground with a reverberating thud that shuddered through my tender bones. Dizzy, I lay still for a moment inhaling the strange world around me. Dirt attached itself to my skin, gritty on my arms and the side of my face. It smelled soft and unfamiliar. Shivering, I sat up and my wings shook on my back, stretching and folding as I unsteadily rose to stand. I fell again, and this time I hunkered down where I was as I careened into being alive, clashing with this new existence and finding it overwhelming. Pushing my legs a third time, I found my feet.

Literally.

I stood and I looked down and saw my bare toes. When I wanted to move forward, head bowed, the appendages lifted from the earth and then fell back to it. Fascinated I practiced this new skill, enraptured. I could move. My hands caught my attention next, hanging loose at my sides. I had used these already, hadn't I? To come here. They did things like hit and scratch and push me off the ground when I fell.

Finally I lifted my head and a wash of color, a see of shapes knocked me back down. There was too much at once. Things that moved, and were moving toward me, things that were still and loomed dangerously high. I chirped, curling back into my safe ball, wings cupping my frame as I tried to create a new egg for myself. The sensation of being touched caused me to startle, a louder squeak erupting from my throat as I lifted my head in shock.

"Hayato." That word again, directed at me. I stared into the face of the man crouching in front of me, his hand on my head. "The world is large, isn't it? You'll grow into it one day."

Large? Grow? These concepts meant nothing to me. The words meant nothing. My head tipped to the side at the strange sounds falling from the mouth of the creature before me. Then I twisted my head the other way, blinking up at him. His hand moved off of me and I realized it had been warm, like the egg, so I scuttled closer to him and bobbed my crown against his palm. He made a peculiar sound I'd later know as a laugh. Then he scooped me off the ground into his arms.

I flailed, panic rising in my stomach. My wings beat him, too small to matter really but still earnest. I struggled until he hushed me gently, bringing me to his chest where once again I felt that sense of protective warmth. I settled quickly, nestling into that sensation. The texture I encounters wasn't like the egg at all. It was rough against my cheek, like the dirt. It smelled different than the ground. Offering a small sound, I grew still. That large hand rested on my back, pressing me closer, offering more warmth. The hum of his voice soothed me, offering a sense of peace.

"Hayato." He repeated. "Let's get you cleaned up."

I quickly discovered that _clean_ meant _wet. _He carried me and as he did, I was able to see more of the world around us. Some other faces like his, with the same dark angled eyes and the same dark hair. They had wings too, like me. Some of them had beaks, large and tapered, black feathers coating their limbs. Others had noses that extended from their faces, thick eyebrows set into stern expressions. Still more looked like the man who cradled me gently, with skin like mine, wings too, and sharp noses that fit their faces. He brought me into a building and the chilly air evaporated in the wake of warm humidity. I loosened, intrigued, as I pulled away from him to inspect this new source of comfort. He set me down gently and I remained fixed in place as my bare soles adjusted to the new texture of the floor. It wasn't uneven and softly abrasive like the ground had been. It was stiff, flat and smooth. My wobbly steps were easier to manage in here.

"This is the bath house." He told me. "This is where we come to wash ourselves."

I ignored him and his strange sounds, inspecting this strange place. The air was thicker here. It reminded me of the egg, that close warmth wrapping around my naked form. Steam rose off the reflective surface of the strange substance ahead of me. We stood a little above it, so I sidled closer filled to the brim with curiosity. Leaning over the edge of the floor, I looked down and for the first time saw my face. Tilting my head I studied the thing I saw. Dark eyes like the man's. The same dark fluff on my head, though I didn't recognize it as mine. I moved closer, not realizing there was nothing to support my footing. With a panicked cry I fell into the water and started to thrash.

"Hayato!"

Pulled up by two hands gripping me under my arms I was rescued from the evil being lurking in that monstrous place. I continued to fuss angrily. I didn't know who that thing was but I did not like them and I did not want to see them ever again.

"You must be careful." Long fingers took my chin and forced me to look into the man's face. "You're still so small my boy, you have to be cautious in this world. If you let it, it will consume you."

It would not be the last time I heard this sentiment. Small, young, naive, the words changed but the warning remained the same for all of my early life. I had to be careful or the world would hurt me.

"Let me show you how." The man set me on the floor where I remained, unwilling to risk another encounter with the foul beast waiting to kill me, and he stripped out of his clothes. With care he picked me up and carried to me steps that sank into the bath. As soon as I realized where he meant to take me I once again started to struggle in his hold. I did not want to go back in that awful place. "Hush, Hayato. Just wait. It'll be alright."

He slowly lowered me into the water. I scrambled to climb up him to avoid it but he managed to get my toes under the surface. Then my legs. When nothing pulled me under I softened, the heat spreading through me. I think I was sore from the trial of coming into the world because the water eased my muscles. I sank down into it, still held carefully in the arms that protected me. Once again I encountered the face that had tricked me and I lashed out at it with my hand, palming the surface of the bath in an instinctual attempt to keep that beast away from me.

Once again, that laugh sounded and I craned my head around to inspect the source.

"Hayato, you're a funny thing." He told me, patting my head with a smile. "That's you, silly boy. That's your face."

He leaned over me and I could see his face too. I slapped both, watching the water ripple. Then I hit them again for good measure, and also because I like the sound he made.

"Those are our reflections." He explained when the water settled again he pointed at my reflection, the trickster that it was. Then he pointed at his and named them both. "Hayato. Myogi."

For most of my early life the mountain top was the only world I ever considered. Though I look back now and see it as such a small place, I cannot deny that it has always provided me with a wealth of knowledge and experience. As a child, fresh and blank, Myogi would walk me through the towering forests teaching me the names of the trees, the plants. I _saw. _I _touched. _I _felt,_ memorizing sensations and seeking more and more. All the small details of the world loomed large. There was a period of time, likely only a few months though it felt like a lifetime as a child, where I became consumed with exploring my world to the point that I rarely even recognized that Myogi was trying to give my world words of explanation. His voice was comforting but far less important than attempting to see the tops of the trees as I craned my head back so far that I fell on my backside. The softness of the moss on a rock didn't need a name, it just needed to be touched again and again. I had to _experience _the world before I could bear to call it by name.

The scent of damp wood and soft earth became analogous with home. My lullabies were the sounds of the bugs buzzing in the air as the wind whispered through the leaves of the massive maple trees and their beech brothers. The shifting of the branches of ancient pines spoke to me softly. These songs came from a place that had existed before us and would continue to grow long after we were all gone.

Some lessons came easily without speaking. Not everything tasted as good as it looked, and not all things that tasted good looked the part. Myogi spent an unfair amount of energy pulling things out of my mouth or hands. He would pluck me away from the edges of drop offs. Constantly I abandoned the safety of his side to inspect particularly interesting fungi or flower, to chase frogs and hop after bugs. I would mimic the noises the creatures of the forests made when I heard them.

Except for Myogi. I didn't try to speak his language for a while, too engrossed in my own priorities of exploration. Though, eventually I parroted his words aloud in raptured awe as I connected the sounds to the objects I coveted and when he patted my head or smiled with pride I would then recite them to myself again and again and again. I wanted to _know_ things. I wanted to understand _everything_. Language became another subject to dig into, I wanted to know the words for _everything. _

Our clan was close, inter-related but we were not an overly affectionate people. Some of us were born of women, some from eggs like me. Myogi was, is, a good man full of patience and kindness, but he did not coddle, though for a short time I did sleep next to him, until I had words and the sense to not wander around at night. He did not rock or cradle me.

The first time I explained that to Hichi she seemed aghast, apologizing to me for what I'd lived through. I didn't understand her fuss. I wasn't neglected as a child, I was perfectly happy. I was more than content to stay in my bubble of safety, in my world at the top of the mountain.

I think I was around three when I came to fully understand that Myogi was our leader and we called him father. He was the father of my brothers, and the son of the last leader. I can't say how many generations there were of us, no one seemed to know, only that an eternity before one of our ancestors had claimed the mountain as their home and we had owned it ever since. It was the place we were truly safe. Only the oldest, strongest were allowed to leave the mountain, and they only did so to sell our crafts, to buy supplies, food.

I was around seven when the older brothers started explaining where they were going when they left us with their wares. I listened to their stories full to the brim with fascination. As soon as I realized there was a world outside the limits of the forest I wanted to go there too. The need burned in me to see if everything was the same or if it was all different outside our home. I just wanted to see.

I was not permitted this luxury.

I had no reason to go anywhere. I was young, inexperienced and had little to offer in the way of help. I was told, repeatedly, I would only get in the way. That the more I wandered off the less likely I'd ever be able to leave because no one would want to chase me down. The world was dangerous and hungry.

"Why does Taro get to go?" I asked, indignant that I wasn't allowed to descend with one of my older brothers. I was around seven at the time, I believe.

"He made the swords, he is the one who gets to sell them." Myogi sighed, exhausted with my arguing. The only trait of mine more persistent than my curiosity has always been my stubbornness. "Why are you so eager to go, Hayato? There is nothing out there for you. This is where you belong."

Some of the brothers never stepped foot off the mountain. I did not intend to be one of those unfortunate souls.

"I know that." I told him, scowling. "I'll come back! I just want to see-"

"Want to see what?" He frowned too, looking all the more tired.

I'd grow to know the feeling of being an immovable object in the path of an unstoppable force quite well later in my life, so now I feel his pain. I was awfully frustrating to deal with in those moods.

"Everything!" I vocalized, throwing my hands wide. "The older brothers tell me stories every night about the strange things they encounter. I want to experience those things too!"

"You're too young, too small." He shook his head. "And you have no reason to descend the mountain. As you are, Hayato, the world would eat you whole. You need to stay here where you can be safe."

All I heard was that I needed a better reason than curiosity. So I sought one out.

The forge was a dangerous place and many of the brothers didn't participate in blacksmithing. Not everyone had the right touch for it, or the right temperament. I wasn't allowed to enter until I was nearly eleven. But I watched from the windows and the doors. I did small tasks for the brothers who crafted the shields and weapons and armor. My goal was clear from the start: I wanted to entreat them to take me on.

Myogi was not amused with my ploy but he didn't forbid me from it either. I took that as permission to continue.

The reason it took so many extra years was simple. I hadn't come into my powers. I could fly, I trained with our staffs and learned to hunt. I could hold my own if pressed. I had many skills, and I had energy, but not true power. Not until I was eleven and arguing with a brother who taunted me over my uselessness.

"I'm not useless." I trembled in my anger, fingers curled to palms, talons cutting in my flesh. My wings rustled against my back in my growing agitation.

"You can't even hide your wings." He shot back at me, gesturing to his tattooed skin. "You're just a dead weight kid. Figure out something else. You'll never make it as a blacksmith. You don't have the strength for it."

"I will." I shook, fists tightening. The words came out hot and angry. "I will because I want to do it."

"Wanting something doesn't make it yours." He told me then laughed. "Only children think that way."

"Not yet." I remained steadfast. "It's not mine yet but it will be."

Heat pumped through my veins, pulsed with my anger. Without even thinking about it I wrenched a hand back and then shoved it forward. A ball of blinding white flew from my palm and the brother had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck by it. The ball slammed into a boulder with a pop that grew into a sizzle before it died out. In my shock I dropped my anger completely.

"Tengubi." Brother Taro exited the forge, wiping his hands on a cloth. I watched as he looked over to Myogi, whose lips had pressed into a thin line. Then he looked over to the brother I had been arguing with. "I don't think you can do that, can you Tenshi?"

Tenshi dusted himself off with a glare, but offered no answer.

"Taro." Myogi called firmly. "He's young."

"He's old enough." Taro responded to our leader with a shrug. "I think he just proved that. Besides, it's not like he'll master it overnight. There's still time."

Myogi continued to scowl as he turned his attention to me. With a jerk of his head he gave me permission to fallow Taro into the forge and I was struck in place by this sudden change. Grinning I looked at my hands, then back to him and ran off after my older brother.

Taro was technically, my uncle, but we all called him brother. He was Myogi's true brother and had been second in line to ascend to leader. He joked constantly he was glad his time had never come because he couldn't stand the idea of giving up his smithing. He was a master of his craft and he taught me everything I know. It took a few more years but eventually my work grew in quality, durability, design.

At seventeen I descended the mountain for the first time, following the river to the valley below. I had nearly perfected my skills in smithing, not quite to Taro's quality but not so distant from it anymore. I stood tall but gangly, not quite filling out my frame, even with years of manual labor layering muscle onto my bones. We walked instead of flew for not other reason than the fact Taro wanted it that way. He said it offered him time to think. I believe he wanted to give me the chance to study the new sights. Immediately I fell behind as I found myself entranced by the cedar trees lining our path. I touched it's bark, picked at some leaves to rub them between my fingers until Taro called for me. When I trotted to his side he put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing.

"I promised Myogi I'd keep you safe, so you gotta keep up." He reminded me before tussling my cropped hair. "I know it can be a little overwhelming Hayato, the world is large."

"It's amazing." I breathed.

"It's just a valley. There's far more interesting things ahead." He teased me.

We stopped into a shanty, the smell of food wafting through the loose boards out to the road we'd been on. The hut was no where as well made as our own, the roof riddled with spaces that would leak. Taro guided me to a small, rickety table. I was in awe of the creature who came out to greet up. I must have been staring because their eyes fixed on mine, lips turning down at the corners. I had never seen anything like them before and I was struck.

"Your skin reminds of me opal. It's shining." I told them, reverent. "It's beautiful."

Their posture shifted immediately, a smile gracing their mouth to the point of revealing some teeth. They softened their shoulders and leaned toward me just a little bit as they pushed long navy hair away from their face. "That's a new one."

"Forgive my brother he has never seen a woman before. I apologize for him." Taro announced as he stepped on my foot under the table, giving me a look that clearly meant I was supposed to backpedal.

"Woman?" I blinked at him, then turned back to her. "No wonder he can't wait to go on these trips."

She laughed and her cheeks tinted slightly and I was fascinated. Maybe this was the true danger that kept us from going home, I thought to myself. Beautiful creatures like this just existed out here in the world like treasures hidden in plain sight.

"He's right, I have never met a woman before." I went on. "Could you tell me what color your eyes are? I've never seen it before."

"Wow, Taro. You really brought this adorable young man down with you?" She turned back to my older brother and gave him a look. "I already like him better than you."

"Her eyes are violet." Taro supplied for me. "And she is dangerous so don't get too close. She bites."

I retracted some at this news and offered her a wary glance. She laughed again, shaking her head. "He's lying to you. I don't bite unless threatened. What's your name _little brother_?"

"Hayato."

"Well, let's fill that stomach of yours Hayato. You have a long way to go."

Taro's favorite part of traveling turned out to be women. He was an incorrigible flirt. He knew so many people as we traveled, introducing me and going out of his way to learn the names of those he hadn't already met. He taught me the art of selling our wares, how to accept haggling, how to barter. He took me to other vendors and showed me their materials, explaining their uses. We received requests for custom orders and arranged payments. My first trip off the mountain was calm and successful. When I returned in one piece Myogi offered me a welcoming smile and then nodded to Taro.

"He thought you might not want to return." Taro explained. "He was scared if you left you'd find something more interesting to pursue."

I nodded, pensive.

It had never occurred to me that I could _choose_ to not come back. I couldn't imagine it though, never seeing this place again. Going on trips was one thing, but to try to make a home in the strange lands off the mountain? I didn't know how. I would never be able to survive on my own and I knew it. Myogi had been right about that, the world out there would devour me.

A handful of years later I stepped out of trees, the catch from the day's hunt in my hands, to be greeted by an uncommon sight.

"We need more. They are taking our towns. We have to be able to stand up to them." It was rare to see an outsider in our forests, much less in our village. But there he was, the demon pleading with Taro and Myogi for more weapons. "The demon directing them is relentless. He destroyed and entire village a few days ago."

"Weapons take time." Taro looked over to Myogi with a frown. I stepped closer to listen. "We don't keep a surplus."

"Maybe you should. He's headed this way." The demon explained. "It won't be long until this is your fight too."

A few of the other brothers had begun to gather around. Myogi looked at our faces and muttered something to Taro who nodded.

"We'll do what we are able." Taro announced. "When they're ready we'll bring them down to you."

"You're from the town on the edge of the valley." I realized aloud. The man turned to glance at me. "I've seen you before. Your home is fairly close, barely more than a day's hike from the base of the mountain."

He stared at me, then took my words as some message I didn't remember offering as he once again turned to our leader and older brother. "He's right."

"Hayato we need you." Taro pointed to the forge and I passed off the animal in my grip to another brother before dutifully following. We spent the next several days working nonstop on weapons. Swords. Shields. Bracers. Spears tips. Arrows heads. Armour. It took all of us that were trained to amass such an output but we managed. Once we were finished a small group of the oldest brothers were chosen to deliver the items to the town waiting in the valley.

"I want to go too." I declared, offended when my name wasn't called.

"No." Myogi shut me down. "You don't understand the gravity of the situation, Hayato. You don't know what is waiting."

"I would if I got to go." I argued.

"Enough." He spun and glared at me. "Enough, Hayato. You are staying here."

"Fine. I guess I'll get back to work then."

Containing my temper was difficult, my palms radiated heat, but I did my best. I didn't know, he was right. I didn't understand. It wasn't until only one of the party returned that any of it made any sense. We all listened in horror and confusion as he explained that Taro and the others were trapped in the town, fighting with the people. A warlord had advanced and they had shown up just as the fray began.

"I only barely got away to come and explain." Tenshi trembled as he rested on the ground. "They need more supplies."

"I'll go." I volunteered quietly when no one else rose their voice. I swallowed. "Taro is out there with our brothers. I'll take the supplies to them and return immediately."

Myogi didn't respond to me at first, to any of it. When I turned to face him he looked older. Then he asked for Tenshi to elaborate on the situation. How much did they need? How many were there?

When I packed to go they strapped a spear to my back. Myogi grabbed my shoulders, fully developed for at least two years, and he looked me in my eye. I stood taller than him, something I had never noticed before. My long hair had been tied back. "If you cannot save them you save yourself, Hayato."

I nodded, grabbed all the I could carry and flew.

I had never seen true violence, never experienced it. The smoke rising in thick plumes from the burning homes choked my lungs, burned my eyes. I landed in center of a fight, casting my delivery to the side as I shoved a hot ball of white-hot fire toward a demon out of pure instinct to get them off Taro. He limped to his feet with a wild look in his eye. I tossed him a short sword because it was the closest thing to my hand. Then I pulled the spear from my back and slid my feet apart as I had been trained to do. I slammed the staff end against the side of the head of a demon who advanced on me.

Fighting, as it turned out, was not the same as training. Fighting took more time, and demanded more of everything I had. It didn't give room for mistakes or to think. Real opponents didn't help you stand up and allow you to try again. I didn't know how to pace myself, didn't realize I wasn't made of infinite resources.

My tengubi stopped coming as freely. I had never tried to use it as a real weapon before. The fire in my veins aided me in the forge and it did help in this battle, but not enough. Nothing I had was enough. I heard my brothers call to me. I heard townspeople screaming and raging. I smelled smoke and tasted the acrid air. The bitter truth started to eat at me as made the wrong move and a demon sliced against my ribs with a short blade. The cut burned and stung, the scent of blood reeked when it wasn't from hunting game. My foot slipped, finding no purchase on earth slicked by crimson. I tried to keep upright, I tried to push back.

I heard Myogi warning me that there was no reason for me to descend the mountain.

I heard Tenshi declare I was useless.

I heard Taro tell me that Myogi thought I wouldn't come back.

I was exhausted, out of my element and for the first time in my life all I wanted to do was go _home. _I mustered everything I had left, every last ounce of anger and energy lurking in my reserves and I shoved it all through my hands, threw it as far and wide outward as I could manage. Burning skin and hair clogged my nostrils, bright and indomitable flames arched into the sky as they ate through the buildings in tendrils of red and orange. There was a moment of reprieve and I heard footsteps racing away from me as I heaved what would surely be my dying breaths. I had surrounded myself with a fire too hot for them to combat to get to me. But I had managed to create enough of an opening for them to flee.

The flames started to die as huts collapsed in on themselves. I fell to my knees. Soldiers poured around me and I waited for them to attack but they didn't.

"Keep him alive. He's one of the tengus. He'll be able to tell us how many more there are. The others got away."

I spit as someone's feet and pain radiated through my temple as I was struck to the ground.

I awoke to chains on my wrists and ankles, my body stretched as far as it could go, my back straining. And my wings too were caught, yanked to their fullest extensions. The skin around my shoulders burned with the urge to break open, to let my wings be pulled free of my body. My entire body throbbed and ached. My ribs stung where the cut had been etched into them. I cried out as the sound of something moving preceded my wings being stretched farther outward. A man's voice filtered to me through the agony, amused and taunting.

"How many of you are there? I know you tengus are the ones responsible for supplying the resistance."

"Then you already know more than me." My entire form quaked from exhaustion and pain, both mingling and overwhelming my system. I had never had to endure anything near torture before. I had never even bothered to imagine what it would be like.

"I'll give you one more chance to answer me." He walked from the shadows with a sneer and grabbed my jaw. He had to reach up to do it.

"You'll need someone taller if you mean to strike me in the face." The comment bubbled up from my chest, and I wasn't even sure whose voice spoke it because it had not sounded like me.

He kept his hold on my jaw, revealing his mangled teeth to me in a snarl and then looked behind me. He maintained his grip as I screamed out, body burning and going cold as my left wind was twisted. The snap that sounded in the room was swallowed by my gargled sob, the sound unfamiliar to my ears. I had never known I could make such awful noises. I sagged in my bonds, tears flowing down my cheeks. Sharp fingers tightened on my jaw, forcing me to look into black eyes.

"Let's try this again." He demanded.

Three days they kept me strung up in that room. Three days of slowly breaking my bones and ruining my wings to make sure I had no hope of escape. There were long breaks in between moments of torture, where they just left me there. The guards would talk amongst themselves, and I learned enough about my location through listening to them to know I wasn't going home. I was trapped in a compound occupied by prisoners and the warlord's men. They loved to talk about the arena and watching those taken fight to the death for the hope of freedom. Their joy at describing the brutal methods of victory solidified the knowledge that I was going to die there. If not in that room then in the arena. It's where everyone wound up sooner or later.

I never answered his questions. It cost me my wings but I never answered him. The pain clouded my mind, kept my body from functioning properly. Once they realized they had little left to take from me, they had me drug through a hall of cells picking one to toss me into. My teeth clacked together as I hit the floor, a groan drawing from my throat when I rolled to my side to glare at the men leaving. I spit on the floor, the substance more blood than saliva.

"You must've upset someone important for them to gift me with your presence."

I was in agony, knowing for the first time in my life that death was imminent and that voice had the audacity to sound amused. For a moment I thought I'd been cast into another chamber of torture. I prepared myself for it, but when I spied the owner of that voice I found myself locking eyes with a young woman. She looked unscathed, no bruises or cuts that I could see. Her hair was the color of red flames, her eyes the same gleaming blue as cobalt glass. I couldn't imagine what had landed her in that cell with me. Had she been taken from another village? Was she alone? How long had she been there?

I had met women before. Several, in fact. None of them had prepared me for Amon-Shinpi.

We introduced ourselves and she called my name lovely. I didn't trust her eyes though. The way she moved. She didn't act like a prisoner or the victim of torture. She acted like a predator trapped in a cage.

I suppose there is something to be said for first impressions.

I kept my front to her because she showed too much interest in my ruined wings. I knew I wouldn't be able to stave off any more attacks by I was willing to try. She grabbed my hand and I jerked away so fast my back hit the wall, causing me to hiss. She asked too many questions, assumed too many answers. It chafed my instincts to allow her closer to me.

"What possible secret could a carpenter be harboring that would place him here? Something important. Something necessary."

She paced our cell, confirming my urge to keep her at a distance by doing so. I did not like that she could so easily deduce details about my life. The fact I was holding a secret. The fact I worked in a trade. The fact I had upset someone powerful so they dumped me at her feet. I listened as she rambled to herself, pulling answers from thin air with all the conviction of someone holding indisputable proof.

"Your loyalty much be unbreakable." She told me, expression glinting, finishing her rant. She seemed proud of me, and that struck me as truly odd.

"What are you doing here? You don't seem to be in bad shape for a prisoner." I swallowed, my body growing weaker by the second.

"Prisoner? Oh no. I let them capture me. I'm here because I want to be." Amon-Shinpi offered me a beaming grin that was horrifically out of place in that dank, cramped cell. She explained herself with warmth.

"You-you're insane." I blinked at her, appalled. Who would purposefully get captured by the maniacs? Who would risk this pain? Because she thought she could destroy them? It was a fool's quest. Out of the question. That didn't seem to bother her though. Concern bubbled in my stomach as I watched her carefully. "How are you hoping to destroy this place?"

"Sheer overwhelming force." The words were offered with a shrug and no doubt.

None.

Our conversation lasted a little longer, her explaining how she'd killed her previous cellmates. That she was raised a pacifist. She seemed offended when I asked if she meant to kill me. She gestured to my injured wings, citing them as a reason to not murder me. She complimented the dedication it took for me to learn a trade.

"I could use a friend like you." She told me and if I had been in better health I probably would have laughed. Instead all I could do was stare at her. She was insane, completely and undoubtedly.

A friend? Like me? Like her? We didn't even know each other.

What the hell were friends anyway? I didn't have any to name. I had my brothers. I had Myogi. We had patrons and acquaintances. That was it. That was all I knew. All I needed.

She offered to heal me and I denied her. She persisted and I argued. I questioned her word and she told me she held to it. Then she attacked me, too fast for me to resist or fight against. I truly hadn't even seen her move. Suddenly her hand had my wrist as she manipulated me to press against the cell door, forcing me to grab at the bars for support. Her hand pressed between my shoulders, the contact birthing a cry from my lungs. And then, remarkably, warmth flooded my system. Not the piping heat of my anger but a softer, comforting warmth akin to sunbathing in the spring. That was soon forgotten in the wake of my bones snapping back into place. I can't remember if I screamed or not, but when it was all said and done and I was able to stand she stood before me unflinching in the heat of my anger. I know I must have looked feral. I felt it.

White heat entered my palms. I was ready to defend myself.

My anger faded as her fingertips grazed my cheeks, soft expression offering some form of apology. My fury didn't seem to matter to her, or at least not in the way I had wanted it to matter. Instead it earned her sympathy, her compassion. "I know it hurts. Recovery often can, but you did well my little bird. Spread your wings if you can."

When I was able to extend my wings, any remaining rage died, replaced by a surge of awed joy. "You saved my life. Why?"

"You were in pain." She shrugged as though it were so simple. As if that was a reason to do something so strange. I'd never met a healer before, definitely not one who was insane and allowed themselves to get imprisoned. She promised to get me out if I stayed close to her.

I had no reason to believe her. My trips down the mountain had been rife with advice to trust no one but our own. Stay close to the brothers. Anyone offering help wanted something in return. She waited, carrying the weight of my suspicious stare without concern. In fact she smiled at me, chin lifted slightly, eyes lit up with confidence. There was no doubt in her mind, I realized, that I would agree. Maybe that was because she was my only choice. Maybe it was because she knew I was curious to see what she was going to do. Whatever the reason, she was far less surprised than I was when I spoke again.

"I'm not a carpenter, I'm a blacksmith. I forge all sorts of weaponry. That's why they brought me here. I've been arming the opposition and they wanted to know how many there were." I explained, glancing toward the bars of the door in case someone was listening. This could be a new form of interrogation for all I knew.

She didn't ask me to elaborate. Instead the truth hung between us, taking up space in the room. Her hands moved behind her back, and she offered a single nod. "Can you fight?"

"Adequately, if I'm pressed." I nodded in return, thinking back to barely holding my own against the soldiers.

She said nothing but the look she gave me was one of disagreement. She didn't believe me, that was immediately obvious. It was also interesting because when most others saw me they assumed I was a fighter. I was large, broad. I carried a staff. My size alone was enough to deter provocation. Her eyes eyebrows rose as she pointedly looked to the side.

"Right. Well, I think I'll take the lead on that front. Perhaps you could just make sure I'm armed." Amon-Shinpi suggested but it was more than that, I felt it in my spine. It was an order phrased gently.

"How? The only time prisoners are allowed weapons is when they are in the arena." I knew this. She had to know it too. She'd been there longer than me, I suspected. She rocked back onto her heels in a cheeky, nearly childish way, hands still behind her.

And then she grinned like a knife, her eyes glinting in a diabolical way that I knew, even without actually knowing, that this meant trouble. Big trouble. Trouble for everyone in the room, the compound and maybe beyond but especially for our captors. I suspected the only one who wouldn't be caught in her plan would be herself. Every warning ever uttered to me as a child and until I'd come to help rescue my brothers echoed in my head. I should have been afraid, should have retracted any notion of my help.

I didn't.

I was too curious to see what she would do. If she could pull it off. Either I was going to die there or she was going to set me free, and if I was going to die it was going to be watching her enact whatever plan had bloomed to life in her brain. It was just too intriguing to not go along with. It was also the first time anyone had looked at me and immediately decided I was useful and capable. I'd done nothing to earn her trust. I'd done nothing to make her believe I could help her accomplish her goals.

She knew nothing about me but she put her life in my hands, and took mine in hers. Just like that.

Who wouldn't want to see how that played out?

Amon-Shinpi, as it turned out, was dedicated to keeping her word in all things. Her mind was quick, sharp, and dangerous. She'd told me she would get me to freedom and she wasn't intending on being made a liar. As she explained her plan to me, I listened with rapt attention because how could I not? Something about her just demanded obedience. It didn't take me long at all to come to the conclusion that this woman was drawn to chaos, to uneven odds, like a moth to a flame. She hungered for any chance to prove herself, to best someone, to prove she _could_ even if she _didn__'t_.

This time she _did_.

She waited a day before demanding to face me in combat, a treat the guards apparently were desperate to see as she'd refused to participate until then. She hadn't attempted to wound me or fight me in our cell, but still I felt uneasy at the thought of facing her with any sort of weapon in her grasp. When we were marched from our cell to the area she walked tall, her strides even and confident. I shuffled, ducking down to prevent hitting my head on the shorter doorways. The chains locked tight around my wrists clanked with every move. They brought us to two separate rooms. Well, cages might be more apt a description. Barred walls just like a cell but on all four sides. In each room were several weapons, none of them clean, waiting to be chosen.

"They don't want us to kill each other without the fun of watching." Amon-Shinpi's voice breezed to me as I rubbed my freed wrists. She paced around her room. "Not the best selection though. I've seen better maintained weapons rooms."

"Have you?" I asked dryly, watching her through the bars. "Imprisoned often are you?"

"Often makes me sound like a criminal." She tutted in that same withdrawn tone. "It's not my first time, for sure. Perhaps it'll be the last, but make no mistake Hayato I rarely end up places I don't want to be."

"I know I said this before but it bears repeating. You're insane."

"Stick to the plan, little bird."

I watched her fingers graze over several brutal choices, heavy barbed weapons designed to crush and hurt. I waited to see what she'd choose before picking mine. A staff found itself cradled in her hands, a look of calm intensity smoothing over her face. Then she nodded and offered me a sudden smile through the bars.

"Are you sure? It's hard to be fatal with one of those." I started walking as she did, eyes glued to her.

"I'm not trying to kill you." She reminded me pointedly.

"What if I decide to kill you?" I wondered aloud.

"You won't."

"I could."

"No, I mean, you won't be able to kill me. I'm not worried about it. Just choose a weapon so we can move on with this." She waved her hand through the air to get me to hurry.

The crowd beyond our cages roared loudly with vicious voices full of blood lust. It echoed in my ears. Amon-Shinpi looked through the bars of the gate that lead to the arena floor and for the first time I saw her unsettled. Not worried, but not that spitfire she'd been before. Her shoulders came down and her chin tipped toward her collarbone slightly, eyes set on something in the distance. I plucked a staff from the pile for myself, holding it firmly. When I went to stand before the draw-gate I followed the line of her gaze to see what had caught her attention.

A man, sitting above everyone else in an elevated platform. He sat with only one other being.

I looked back to Amon-Shinpi. Her lip had pulled back slightly to reveal sharp canines.

"I loathe men like him. Blood hungry and gorged on assumed power. Every time I see one of them I get the overwhelming urge to strip them of everything they think they own so I watch the fury of humility shine in their eyes before I kill them." She growled quietly. "I will burn his crimson stained kingdom to the ground at his feet."

The hairs on my neck and arms raised, drawn by the visceral emotion in her words. I was suddenly very glad that our first meeting had gone the way it had, because I knew right then had I been any form of threat she would not have hesitated to end me. And she was right, of course. She had no reason to worry about me trying to kill her. Even I could tell simply by standing beside her in that moment that I would never have gotten close enough to succeed. The gates rattled and started to rise, startling me from my thoughts. Adrenaline beat into my veins. We stepped out onto the arena floor, moving to the center as all good sports do. The sand and dirt were wet with spilled blood. Where the red had dried, the earth remained stained.

"Breathe, Hayato. You're not in any danger." Her voice coaxed me to raise my eyes from the ground. "Look at me, little bird. You're safe."

She meant it.

I breathed.

The fight began and just as quickly it was over. I hadn't managed to land a strike and had only barely defended the first two before she swept my feet from under me, coming to stand over me with her staff pressed to my forehead. The crowd cheered, chanting for my death. But even with their taunts and yells, all I did was watch Amon-Shinpi. She smiled, barely, and I swallowed. I wasn't afraid, not of her and not of dying in that place. I think I should have been scared of both but something about that look told me it was going to be fine.

With some alarm I realized I trusted this insane young woman.

"Time for phase two." She whispered and then turned with her arms raised to bait the leader of the compound. She demanded he face her in combat. Then she called him a coward when he made no move to obey.

Her words stirred up the crowds and the inmates, some of whom waited in the wings for their turn to fight. When two guards were called to retrieve her, she immediately over powered them and tossed their keys to me. I fumbled in my rush to do as she'd planned, my fingers clumsy as I unlocked the gate and passed the keys down to another captive. It didn't long for the prisoners to storm the stands.

It took even less time for Amon-Shinpi to claim the warlord's head.

She gave a speech that roused all the demons listening from their revenge. Not an ear wasn't turned to her. She asked them to remember the pain they'd suffered so they wouldn't inflict on others. She asked them to be better than those that hurt them. Then she threw the head to the ground and jumped from her perch atop the stands to land near me.

"Am I still insane?" She asked me with a cheeky grin that seemed less sinister than it should have given the blood on her face.

"Absolutely." I didn't hesitate to answer.

"Are you ready to fly, little bird?" Her head tipped to the side as if she knew I was in doubt.

"Where are you going to go?" I asked quietly.

"Home, I think. If they'll have me." Her head tipped back so she could look skyward, uncertainty tainting her expression. Then she looked at me with an exhaustion that comes from the soul.

I wasn't ready for her to go yet. I didn't know why. I just knew I wanted more time. That's why I rushed to ask her to join me. "I'd like to show you where I come from. Perhaps I can repay you with some weapons."

After a breath she righted her head and offered me a smile as she nodded. "Lead the way."

Our trip took a few days, given how far we'd been pulled from the village I had gone to arm. The area was unfamiliar to me, but I had a general sense of which direction led us to the mountain, an instinct that pulled my feet forward on a path I had never encountered before. The desert that held us hostage burned through the soles of my boots, stinging my feet. I considered flying but knew that my transient companion wouldn't be able to keep up if I did so. The wind kicked up sand that chaffed my cheeks and face, the heat threatening to strangle me, every inhale scalding my throat and leaving sharp grit on my tongue. Amon-Shinpi had raided the storeroom of the stronghold before our excursion. She'd reclaimed a metal mask she wore over the lower half of her face, obscuring most of her features. A bright blue scarf that matched her eyes wound around her head concealing her flaming hair, and it covered most of her face to further protect her from the assault I faced. Her trousers were rugged in material, sun-bleached and dirt stained, a long sleeved shirt tucked into her pants. A vest covered her shirt, and that was itself covered by a worn leather waistcoat pulled close by a belt. Her boots were sturdy, coming up to her knees and laced tight. Another belt rested around her hips adorned with satchels, and a few knives. A rucksack was thrown over her shoulder. None of the colors seemed to naturally belong together, the outfit a patchwork of black, brown, blue and red. Disastrous as it looked, it kept her safe from the elements.

I was a bit envious. Keeping my complaints buried in my stomach, I glanced her a way with pursed lips, my hand raised to shield my eyes from the sun.

"Come here." She demanded, not waiting for me to comply before yanking on the shoulders of my shirt to force me to lower myself. Without allowing me to argue, as she never actually offered me a choice, she removed her scarf and expertly wrapped it around my head in the same way it had protected hers. "You're woefully under prepared, Hayato. What were you doing getting mixed up with degenerates like a war camp?"

"It wasn't intentional. You might be surprised to learn that most of us don't get taken prisoner on purpose." I grumbled in response, rising back to my full height once she released me. We began walking again as she pulled her pack around to her front and rummaged through it, producing a second severally more weathered scarf in black that she draped over her head. "My brothers were in a village near our mountain supplying the villagers with weapons when they were attacked. I went to reinforce them with added arms."

"And promptly got captured." She guessed with humor.

"Not promptly. I did put up a fight." I frowned as I remembered those pained moments. "I might have burned down someone's home in the process though. I hope no one was hurt."

She snorted derisively, then chuckled and I pressed my lips together.

"You're an honorable man, Hayato. You risked your life to help your family, facing long-odds. I think that's an endearing trait." She told me, but still her voice rang with humor.

"Why are you laughing then?" I demanded.

"Because it's funny. You threw yourself into a heated battle and not only managed to get captured but in the process you burned down someone's home." She chuckled again. "I'm beginning to see a pattern here. You did the same with me, didn't you? Threw yourself into a situation you were decidedly unprepared for. It worked out in the end. That's something, at least."

"Are you always this self-assured?" I huffed, arms crossed over my chest. "Or should I say arrogant?"

"I am both." She showed her first hint of humility as she sank into her shoulders slightly. "It's a personality flaw, assuming I'm always right. I've just trained myself into it, unfortunately."

"Because you normally are right?" I guessed.

"Even so, it's not very warm to be arrogant."

"Do you want to be warm?"

"I want to be better than I am."

Her answer struck as extremely strange and somehow painfully resonant. My entire life had been about learning more, chasing curiosities, but I'd never really considered perfecting myself. When I thought of myself, it wasn't as something that could be improved upon. What would I change about myself if I could? What part of me needing perfecting?

Through the days it took us to travel up my mountain, we talked. It was my first time truly engaging with someone outside my clan. Of course during my travels I held conversations with others, as was only natural, but they were fleeting and inconsistent. Insubstantial most of the time. I quickly realized how much of the world I didn't know, not just the places I hadn't been but the deeper knowledge I lacked. There were questions I had never thought to ask, but Amon-Shinpi had. She was like me, always curious and always searching. When she spoke to me it was without hesitation, and even when she teased my lack of information she did it with kindness her answers or corrections following quickly. When she spoke, it was with conviction, just like how she moved.

"You have to allow your experiences, especially failures, to shape you. We are nothing more than accumulation of what we've done and been through, which means it's direly important that we examine everything and learn from it. Those lessons are imperative to our success in life, to our survival and to our growth." She explained to me as we sat together on the ground in the dark, harbored under a rocky overhang. "That's the most important thing my grandparents taught me before they passed. Perfection is truly impossible for us to achieve but the path to it is attainable and it is open to all."

"I was raised to be thankful for what I had and to not get hungry for more, because it is dangerous. Everything outside of our clan is threatening, imposing. It took proving myself over and over to be able to descend the mountain the first time, even then I knew I must be guarded and skeptical." I told her, expecting another laugh at my expense. Instead she nodded as she listened to me intently, her eyes focused uncomfortably on my face.

"There's merit in being thankful for your home and your people. There's nothing wrong with being safe." She agreed readily.

"You don't seem well-versed in safety." I suggested and she shrugged.

"Safety of self has never interested me."

"Why is that?"

"Likely because I have never thought of myself as something in need of protection from external threats."

"That's not quite it though, is it?" I hadn't meant to utter the question out loud, it was meant to be a thought and nothing more. But her attention on me sharpened with curiosity and accusation, almost as if she were daring me to continue. I swallowed and wondered at her reaction, squinting to assess her. In a move I thought her incapable of, she looked away first an indignant huff. I realized suddenly and with some shock that I had plucked at a strained thread in her.

"We all make choices we must live with, Hayato. Some of those choices carry heavier consequences than others, and sometimes they aren't really choices at all. They are framed like an option but they are truly the only way. Whenever you face a moment like that, where there is only one true path and all others are illusions for comfort, you accepting a weight you'll never be able to shake off." After her words she pulled a flask from her hip and I thought for a moment it might be water for how deeply she drank but the reek of ferment struck me across the face to dispel my innocent notion. Eyes on the container she bared her teeth to her own thoughts. "I chose to become something unworthy of protection when I chose to do what no one else could. Nothing steps in front of a shield. Nothing protects a sword. They are meant to stand alone and do their jobs."

"You're not a weapon, Amon-Shinpi."

She drank again before capping her flask, reattaching it to her belt. Leaning back against the rock sheltering us she closed her eyes, arms crossing over her chest. "We should rest, we have more walking to do tomorrow."

When we crested the mountain the next afternoon we were met with awe and tearful welcomes. We broke through the trees into my village and suddenly I was swarmed, arms around me in such numbers I had no idea who was touching me. Dozens of voices cried out that I'd come home, that I was back, that I was alive. Eventually the brothers parted and Myogi was there, his hands cupping my face as tears rolled down his cheeks and then he pulled me close in a tight embrace. Taro was close behind him, thick arms tugging me to him as soon as I was released from Myogi's hold. His hand cradled the back of my head as he repeatedly told me how happy he was that I had come home.

The word didn't strike me how I'd thought it would. Home. I was back, that was certain, but home suddenly felt far away.

"How did you survive? I saw them take you. We feared the worst." Taro's voice grew thick near my ear as he refused to let me go, despite me attempting to pull back. His question made me finally struggle with intent and he allowed me to escape.

"She saved me." I blinked at him, moving to gesture to Amon-Shinpi where she'd been by my side. She wasn't there. I was in a see of my kin but the redhead was nowhere to be seen until I glanced toward the trees and found her leaning against one, her mask hanging around her neck and her scarf shrugged on as though it were a shawl. There was something about the way she was watching that felt _soft. _It made my chest ache.

"Her?" Myogi's distaste caught me off guard. He stared at my companion with harsh scrutiny. "Why would a bandit care to save you?"

Amon-Shinpi didn't rise to defend herself or offer an explanation. Instead she met his stare with one of curiosity, head tipped slightly to the left.

"Bandit?" I asked, then I laughed and it earned the attention of everyone around me.

"He's not wrong." She vocalized. "I have spent some time recently as a bandit."

"I can hardly believe you capable of blindly robbing and killing." I shook my head.

"I am never blind, my friend." She grinned and it pulled up the left, revealing a sharp canine that seemed to unsettle my comrades. "I chose my victims carefully and with purpose. And I didn't kill most of them, I merely frightened them."

"That I can believe." I kept my response quiet, rolling my eyes. I turned back to Myogi and Taro. "If it wasn't for her I'd have been tortured to death. They took me and they broke my wings-" at this there were horrified gasps, hands tugging on me gently to examine the damage, "-but Amon-Shinpi healed me. She helped everyone get out, destroyed the entire compound."

"You helped." She was suddenly at my side, her appearance sending some of my brothers skittering back. Her hand came up to my shoulder as she grinned at Myogi. "Your boy here is a hero. He's quite brave, you know. Even though they tortured him he did not betray any of you. He's awfully amazing."

I blushed at her praise.

"I told you it was dangerous." Myogi turned to me with a frown. "You were taken and hurt. You see now why we don't descend the mountain unless we have to, Hayato. I'm glad you're home where you can stay safe."

Stay safe.

I didn't argue with him about it, but I wanted to. Instead I nodded and changed the subject. "Amon-Shinpi risked a lot to bring me here and to keep me safe. I told her she could stay with us for a time to recuperate. I wanted to show my appreciation."

I knew it wasn't what anyone wanted, because there was a lot of shifting and many glances cast around before it was finally admitted that it would be the hostly thing to do. Amon-Shinpi herself said nothing about it, instead squeezing my shoulder just slightly with a knowing smile. Once it was settled that she would stay for a few days, I could barely contain my excitement. I immediately drug her to my the hut I shared with a few other brothers, explaining who all lived in it as she offered me her strict attention. I had led her through the whole village before she finally asked me where the baths were.

"Thank the gods." She declared as soon as she crossed the threshold and inhaled the humid air. "I can't tell you when my last bath was. Thank you for allowing me to come in here and to stay with you. I imagine it's making your brothers uncomfortable to have me around."

"Are they?" I frowned, too caught up in my own emotions to think much about anyone else's.

She glanced at me then shrugged the question off along with her rucksack. Her scarf and mask followed, then her jacket. It took me a few moments to realize she was undressing to bathe. It wasn't a bad idea. I hadn't had a bathe since being kidnapped. When I started to disrobe as well Amon-Shinpi stared at me as if I'd suddenly sprouted another head. Then she laughed, loud and ringing causing me to stop what I was doing to look over at her.

"I get it now." She told me. "You're not as familiar with women as your brothers, are you?"

"What are you talking about? I've met plenty of women." I argued. She laughed again, pulling her shirt over her head. "Why is that funny?"

"You'll figure it out later." She assured me as she continued to strip before plunging herself into the warm, waiting water. Once she was properly submerged she let out a contented sigh.

"Why was it funny?" I demanded, sinking into the water cautiously.

"Is this a communal bath?" She asked me instead of answering. "I guess I already know the answer."

"What does that matter?" I frowned and again she didn't answer me.

Her cryptic hints meant nothing to me until I was in the forge the next morning with Taro.

"That girl, you two bathed together yesterday." He spoke with a grin. "Myogi is beside himself. He knows I'm a tramp, now he thinks I've warped you too."

"A tramp?" I asked, pulling my hands away from the metal I'd been shaping. "Why does bathing make me a tramp?"

"You and that girl, you're an item right?" He teased me. "I can't blame you, she is rather pretty under the dirty clothes and that mask. And it seems she's pretty strong from what you've said."

"She's stronger than anyone I've met." I told him seriously.

"Is this where you work?" Amon-Shinpi's voice cut through our conversation as she walked into the forge, eyes wide with interest as she took it all in. "You really are a blacksmith."

"I told you that." I pointed out.

"I know, I just sort of thought you were a little soft for it. I was really convinced you were actually a carpenter." Her attention wandered to my current project. "I guess I was wrong. What is that?"

I raised the short sword barehanded, my hands accustomed to the heat. "It's a sword."

"It's blue." She reached for it and I immediately had to push her back just before her fingers closed around the metal. I knew from other brothers who didn't have tengu-fire that being burned was a real thing. "What the hell, Hayato?"

"It's too hot!" I fussed, using my reach to keep her back.

"You're holding it!" She shot back at me.

"I create fire, idiot. It doesn't hurt me!" I dropped the blade into a vat of water and the resulting intense bubbling and steam stopped her. With head tilted she blinked then backed off.

"Show me." She demanded earnestly.

"I just did?" My wild gesture to the simmering water earned an eye roll.

"No, Hayato. Show me your fire."

I stared at her for a moment, eyebrows raised. After a beat, I asked to make sure, "My fire?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Come show me. Try not to burn down any houses."

"You told her about that?" Taro hissed a laugh as he tried to whisper. "You're so naive, Hayato."

"Shut up." I snapped at him, following Amon-Shinpi outside. We moved a little away from the building before she turned to gesture to me. I focused myself and allowed the heat to well up in my palms, creeping upwards, the hot white light glowing around my arms. She stared, fascinated and approached but remained a short distance out of reach. As she paced around me I was reminded of the way it felt to be trapped by the guards. I turned to keep her in sight.

"It's not flames." She commented idly.

"I suppose not." I agreed. "It's fire all the same."

"It's white."

"So is the center of a flame. The hottest point."

Slowly, she reached her hand forward. I pulled back slightly to avoid any contact between us but she didn't seem to worry. Instead her eyebrows pulled down as she studied the heat emanating from my skin, the light radiating outward. A rush of wind swirled around us, then her hand raised and I raised mine too, unfurling my fingers as she opened her own palm to me. The air ran between our hands in a constant flow carrying the worst of the heat away from her. Still, I noticed her skin grow red. She didn't lower her hand. She dared a little closer.

"I have played with fire all my life and I've never seen anything like yours." Her words were quiet, soft. "My grandfather's flames were blue. He taught me how to fight them from a young age. He couldn't have prepared me for a power like yours."

"It's just tengu-fire." I responded, matching her tone. "Plenty are capable of it. It's not that rare."

"I've never encountered it before."

I nodded, understanding. It wasn't rare but it wasn't common for us to flash such displays without reason.

"Let's fight." She suggested and without warning she spun around me, thrusting her palm toward my chin. I barely stepped back in time to avoid the collision. I swiped at her and missed as she darted away. The next time she came for me it was a similar dance.

It didn't take me long to realize that her approaches were designed for me to avoid them. She was baiting me and my reactions. After a few more moves I smothered the heat and recalled my energy, leaving my skin bare and cool once again. At this she showed disappointment, her stance lessening as a pout stole over her mouth.

"There's no point in a fight I can't win." I told her. "You're far above my abilities."

"It doesn't have to stay that way though." Her response quickened my pulse as Taro called for me. "We could make each other better."

"You have nothing to gain from me." I shook my head, glancing toward the forge. "I've seen you work, Amon-Shinpi. There's nothing I can teach you."

"You sell yourself short, Hayato. You should work on that."

Her words bothered me, tugging at something already unraveling and I chewed on them as I went back to work. Taro teased me some more about her, but I didn't listen. I was too lost in my head. Her words were a pox on my existence, throwing everything I knew into disarray. I allowed myself to be swallowed by them, mulled over.

In the village at night, Amon-Shinpi did for the younger ravens what my older brothers had done for me. She spun them stories of the rest of the world, cities and empires and kings and bandits. She told them fearful things and illustrious tales. Around the fire as they sat together, she manipulated the smoke with her wind to create shapes and them moving over the children's heads. Her words carried with them a weight that settled into everyone's bones, not just the fledglings. We all were moved, all stilled. There was something about the way she spoke that demanded understanding, demanded attention. During the early morning she hunted with our best, using a bow with more precision than I'd ever seen before.s

"She's a wolf." Myogi told me with some disdain. "A powerful one at that. It's not unusual for our kind to mingle with them. It's just strange that she's alone. Most wolves have packs."

"She has a family." I told him, so sure of myself. "She told me so."

"She's not with them?"

"She said she's on her way home."

It wasn't long, a few more days at most, that Amon-Shinpi told me she was taking her leave. She had somewhere to be. Some people to reunite with. I listened, having spent the previous day shoving my most prized creations into her hands. She wore my bracers, carried my short sword with it's blue blade, packed my knives, donned a quiver full of arrows tipped with heads I had hammered. Naturally she had tried to deny my gifts. She'd pushed them back into my hands but I would have none of it. She had saved my life. I wanted to repay her.

I wanted to bribe her into staying a little longer.

It didn't work.

"I must do this." She told me with a sad smile. "I'm glad I got to meet you before I went, though. You're a rare man, Hayato. Treat yourself well."

"You say that like we won't meet again." I waved my hand through the air. "Surely you'll remember how to find me. Come back and visit."

"I don't think I'll be able to."

My hand fell to my side.

"Hayato, once I return home I'm not sure I'll be able to leave again." Her words hit me with a physical force. I felt their impact in my gut. "I've been away for a long time and I have to return to face my family."

"They aren't your enemy." I whispered.

"I might be there's." She admitted sadly. "There's much about this you don't know, Hayato. So much it's better if you don't understand. Just know that I consider you my friend and I'm happy I got to spend this time with you."

That word again. Friend. It sounded different now, powerful and pained.

"I have to go home."

Home. That word that felt so hollow in my bones and chest when Myogi spoke it felt thick and weighty when it fell from her lips.

I curled my finger to my palm.

It was irrational. Nothing about it made sense other than the fact I felt it was the right thing to do. Like instinct had pulled me back to the mountain, something drew me to stay with her. It stretched between us and I knew, without a doubt, I couldn't let her leave alone.

"I'm coming with you."

She argued, of course. At the time she still thought her family would kill her for her crimes. She didn't want me to die by association. She feared for my life. Myogi agreed with her, tried to reason with me to stay. Taro too, argued that I needed to think more. Just one woman wasn't worth abandoning everything I'd known. I couldn't articulate to them that I wasn't abandoning them. There were no words to express just how much I needed to stay beside Amon-Shinpi or why. I didn't fully understand any of it either. I just knew.

I knew I needed to go with her.

I knew that nothing anyone said would stop me.

So I went. After all the yelling and arguing and packing of my things, after Amon-Shinpi herself had demanded I stay behind with harsh words, I still left.

It was the best decision I had ever made and it was purely my own.

"You don't have to come." She warned me again, trying to get me to leave.

"I have a feeling your side is where I need to be." I rebuked her as we planted our feet on the valley floor, leaving my homeland behind.

"My side is a dangerous place, little bird." Her word were calm but meaningful.

"Are you denying me, little wolf?" I asked in response to which she finally smiled, taking the lead.

"Don't call me little."

We traveled a few weeks together, talking about the world the whole way. She explained to me her past, what she'd done to get exiled. I told her about my life. We visited a few villages and towns, stopping to eat and sleep. I remember there was a part where we went to Tourin and Shinpi spoke to the monks and told them she was finally going home. They commented on how long her hair had grown, it rested just beneath her chin. One of them asked if she was ready to face what lie ahead. She told them she finally way.

She also told them to tell their king that he was an ass who was too scared to fight her.

They didn't find that as funny as she did.

We debated and argued and laughed together. It was freeing, being given the reign of my own ideas and encouraged to express them. She pushed me to try new things. Sometimes that meant getting into trouble. Sometimes it meant watching her get out of trouble. All the while it was fun and fulfilling. I felt the most alive I'd been in all my twenty-something years of existence.

We stood on the threshold of her home, which she'd described to me in agonizing detail over our time together. We had entered Sayol and marched across it, walking through the trees in a path only she seemed able to see. Then we found ourselves outside the castle and she gave me another chance to run. She'd given me so many. She'd tried so hard to spare me, to send me fleeing.

"There's a chance they'll kill me, you know." She warned me. "I am a fugitive. I killed the former king."

"Then we'll die together."

My words made her stiffen, those blue eyes piercing me through the soul with a stare that probed for deception hoping to find some. She wanted me to be lying. I wasn't. I meant my words. I had lived more in the last month of knowing her than I had any of the years before and if this was the end then so be it. I would die a man who had finally come to know some aspect of himself and I would die at her side, fighting. That seemed more than I truly deserved.

It never came to that.

We barely made it through the gates before she was swept off her feet by her wailing sister, Kuya. Then her parents found us, tears in their eyes. They dismissed her notions of exile and instead embraced her with adoration and love. Kotaru and Aiofe held their children close. Eventually they regarded me, too, and asked who I was. Made a joke about us being married. Amon-Shinpi had none of it. They pulled her back into the fold as though she had never left.

Amon-Shinpi was wary of their reception at first. It took some time for her to realize they truly did want her there. I learned that she had spent the better part of the last four or five years under the impression she was exiled and that her family wanted her dead. A figment of her own guilt, her parents explained. What she had done, she had done for the people of Sayol. She had fought with valor for the protection of her people. It wasn't a victory anyone wanted to celebrate but her being alive meant the world to her family.

It wasn't long before they pulled me into the fold too. First with training then with schooling. I worked my way up to stand at her side, as her friend and guardian.

Training came to me harshly. I wasn't accustomed to the idea of real combat, my only taste of it having ended with me being taken captive. This family danced through forms and styles with intention and prowess, and they expected me to follow suit if I were to join them. Even Kotaru with his one arm partook of training on a regular basis, but it was Aiofe and Amon-Shinpi I faced most often. It wasn't hard to discern where my friend had inherited her fighting spirit from.

"Stand up." Aiofe reached for me and gently helped raise me from the ground after she knocked me down yet again, her hands small but firm where they gripped my arm. She dusted some dirt from my tunic with a patient smile. "You have to think harder about your actions, Hayato."

I frowned at her, wondering how much harder I could possible think about this. "She's too fast."

"She is." Aiofe agreed with that soothing tone she always took when she was delivering a lesson. "She's unstoppable, truly. She's always been that way. She's always needed to be the fastest, strongest, best. It's in her nature."

"Well, it apparently is not in mine." I sulked, sneering at the floor to the side of her. A palm cupped my cheek, drawing my attention back to her now glittering eyes. She offered me a smile that made me feel ashamed.

"She didn't start that way. No one is born the best." She explained. "She had to learn a lot of terrible and hard lessons. She had to breathe in dust and dirt just like you are doing. There were nights where she couldn't sleep because her body hurt her so much."

"You made her train so hard?" I was appalled. In my clan we did not begin training until we were ready and only if we wanted to.

"No. She did that to herself. Kotaru never wanted her to hold a sword." Aiofe shook her head. "She was determined though. She's always determined. It's why she finds so much trouble."

"I can see that."

She offered a short laugh then looked me over knowingly.

"Thinking harder isn't going to help me. She's merely better than me. I can't catch her." I explained trying to hide my annoyance. "There's nothing I can do."

"You're a little bit of a defeatist." She accused then laughed again. "She's faster than you. She's stronger. She's smaller. She does, indeed, outmatch you."

I went to agree once again when she cut me a glimmering, sly expression.

"So what are you going to do about it?" She demanded. "If you want to stay with her, Hayato, if you want to stand beside her you have to be able to keep up. So. How are you going to beat her?"

"I can't." I explained again, my frustration growing. "She's like the wind your highness, she's impossible to stop."

Aiofe tapped her fingertip against my nose and nodded. "You're exactly right on one front, she is like the wind. Now. When the blows and howls, what protects us from it?"

I stared at her and thought for a moment. Then I glanced around us to the room. The realization clicked in me. "Walls."

"Maybe you can't beat her." She told me, patting my chest. "But you can stop her. You just have to plant yourself and become immovable. Be the shield to her sword. Be the wall that keeps everything else."

"I just have to stop her." I nodded to myself and glanced at the woman who centered in our conversation. Amon-Shinpi, who stretched her arms and back. She glanced our way and then threw her hands in the air as if to demand to know what was taking us so long. "That's a tall order."

"Tell me about it. You didn't have to raise her." Aiofe snorted. With one more squeeze to my arm she raised her eyebrows before pushing me forward. "Good luck."

"Finally." Amon-Shinpi started walking toward me, wooden sword tied to her waist. "Can we get on with this?"

"Plant yourself." Aiofe told me quietly, at my back.

I swallowed and nodded subtly. I could do this. I could. How hard could it be to be immovable? All walls had to do was stand.

I forgot in my haste to apply this new idea that there were some storms that could tear through the thickest walls and leave them strewn across the ground in chunks of rubble and wood. I lay on my back a few minutes later, a new bruise forming on my ribs as I stared up at the ceiling.

"I think that's enough for today." Amon-Shinpi crouched next to me with a look of mild concern drawing her brows together. I turned only my head to look at her. "You're doing good, Hayato."

"I'm not doing anything." I protested angrily. "Except laying here. Again."

"Are you angry?" She tipped her head to the side.

"Of course I'm angry!" I raised my voice without intending to. "Do you have any idea how damn frustrating this is? Nothing I do matters! You just barrel through me every time and I can't do anything to stop you!"

"That's not true." She frowned. "There's plenty you could do."

"Oh, then tell me please. Because right now all the advice I'm going on is to plant myself and be a wall."

"A wall?"

"Yes. A wall. That's what your mother said to do."

"I hate walls." Amon-Shinpi looked around us with mild distaste. "They are so confining. One of the best parts of being on my own was the fact I didn't have to deal with walls unless I wanted to. I don't know why anyone would ever want to become one."

"To stop you." I grumbled, pulling myself up to sitting with a grunt. My ribs were not happy with my last failure. "You're the wind, I'm the wall. That's the plan."

"That's a really dumb plan." She laughed at me and plopped herself down, leaning back on her palms. I had the overwhelming urge to push her over. "Walls are the worst, Hayato. Don't become one."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" I demanded again, at the end of my wits and patience.

"Be a tree." She told me as if this were obvious to everyone except me and I was a fool for not coming to the conclusion myself.

"I'm sorry, what?" I blinked at her, completely done. "I am not going to sit here and allow you to make fun of me."

"Come with me you giant baby." She picked herself off the ground and extended her hand to me. "Let me show you something."

I stood on my own, without her help, and this seemed to humor her greatly because she couldn't stop grinning. She led me out the castle and then off the grounds, through the town to it's center. We stood in the shadow of the massive tree present on her family crest.

"This is Aishling." She gestured to the tree as she turned to face me. "It's the whole reason we live here. Aishling was planted by my grandmother after she yanked this oasis up from the desert."

"I thought Aishling was the name of the city." I stared at her, picturing Aina, whose portraits adorned the walls of the castle, raising and entire territory from the desert. Aina, whom my friend considered one of the weaker members of her family. Their matriarch. I wanted to know that story.

"It is. This is why. Look, Hayato, in this family we have a mantra. We protect Aishling and Aishling protects us." She gestured to the massive tree again. "This tree means everything to us. It has weathered everything ever thrown at it. It's the symbol of the Takanis and our prosperity. It's roots are deep and ancient, sprung to life by the blood of our ancestral mother."

She took a few steps toward me, lowering her voice. Then she poked me in the chest.

"If you want to be something that stands up to anything that comes it's way, if you want to be that strong then don't think of walls. Be a tree. Be Aishling." She moved to my side and looked up at the branches with me. "My grandmother used to tell me that trees cannot grow strong without the wind. But trees also have to be flexible enough to bend when necessary or a strong enough gust will push them over. Maybe you shouldn't think of me as the enemy and instead start thinking of me as a way to get better. Though, aside from that there remains one problem."

"Which is?" I pressed, digesting everything she told me.

"Trees can't grow if they don't lay down roots." Her hand touched my fist, balled at my side. Without even thinking about it I allowed her to pry my fingers loose so she could lace hers in the spaces between. "I want you to stay here, Hayato. I want this to be your home. But that means nothing if you don't feel the same."

I kept my eyes on Aishling because I wasn't sure what else to do. I hadn't expected such a candid confession from Amon-Shinpi, and I certainly had expected to want to hear it so badly. Her words struck me in the chest, unlocking something I had been keeping buried so deep I hadn't even known it was there. My fingers squeezed around hers.

"How hard can it be to become a tree?" I asked aloud, more of a thought than anything else.

"For you?" She answered my stray question. "I don't think it'll be that hard at all."

That finally drew my attention to her. I traced the thoughtful reverie lining her expression as she stared up at the tree's widespread branches, cobalt eyes memorizing the patterns of the leaves. Slowly, her mouth shifted into a smile.

"I think this will work." She declared. "It definitely will, in fact. We'll make sure it does."

"Of course." I voiced my approval without hesitation. The way Amon-Shinpi used _we_ was different than how Myogi spoke the word. It held a different conviction on her tongue, an altered meaning. It wasn't a pronoun in her mouth, it was a state of being. We. I wanted to be in that state with her, because it was the most comfortable I had ever been in my life. "Otherwise, what's the point?"

Going forward I worked tirelessly, on my own time and with Amon-Shinpi. I trained into the night. First thing in the morning. I studied her until I could see her moves before she made them. I let her adjust me, my form and my plans, until we were both happy. In between these sessions I learned from the tutors that Kotaru and Aiofe hired for me.

They spared no resource or expense when it came to my education. This seemed normal to everyone except for me. The townspeople spoke of how valued lessons were to the royal family, how the king and queen had pushed for formal schools to be established at no cost to the community. They wanted everyone to have the same privileges as their children. I had never heard of such benevolence. In our world, nothing comes for free especially not kindness yet the Takanis often gave so much away. Knowing this was a gift even if they didn't see it as such I hoarded it, devouring every morsel of information given to me so that none of their efforts would be squandered.

"Why don't you take notes?" Kuya asked me a few months into this routine, entering the room after one of the tutors had left for the day. "It's a lot of information. Surely you can't retain it all in the moment."

She set a tray of food on the table I had claimed as my own for the sake of studying. Offering me a cup of tea she perched against the edge of the table watching me with unguarded curiosity. I accepted the drink and felt heat enter my cheeks under her golden-eyed scrutiny. Kuya wasn't wild and sharp like her sister, she was often softer spoken and gentler by nature. She did things with great care at her own pace to assure perfection.. Though that did not mean she was a fool by any stretch of the imagination. Her eyes saw just as much, though the details read differently to her.

"I didn't mean to pry." She immediately moved to apologize at the sight of my expression. "It's your business of course."

"I can't write." I told her quietly. "I've never had a reason to learn. My memory is plenty though, I can recall even small details if requested."

I did not want her to think, and thereby tell her parents, that I was wasting their time by not absorbing the information offered to me by the tutors. I didn't want them to take this precious gift away, to find me undeserving suddenly, so my tone grew a little too earnest, pleading.

Her mouth formed a delicate O and it made me all the more embarrassed. "Oh, well, that's fine. If you don't need to know, you don't need to know."

I squinted as she floundered, then she fled from the room and I was left alone with two cups of perfectly sweetened tea and a few snacks.

Amon-Shinpi burst into my bedroom a few hours later, wild eyed and grinning. I startled at her sudden entrance, halfway through changing my clothes to prepare for our upcoming training session.

"You can't write?" She asked, nearly gleeful, hands grasping the edges of the doorway as she leaned through the frame. "Hai! How the hell could you not tell me this?"

"Hai?" I asked, confused, gripping my tunic as my eyebrows rose with curiosity.

"Kuya told me. She was embarrassed that she embarrassed you." She looked around my room as I stood there bare chested.

"Could you please close the door?" Pointedly I flattened out my confusion and curiosity into stern annoyance, a mask I'd eventually wear fairly constantly because of her antics.

"Oh, of course." She nodded, stepping completely into the room and drawing the door closed behind her instead of leaving. She paced into the space and started to inspect it without shame or hesitation.

"By all means, come in." I declared, incredulous. Even my clan respected personal space, a notion lost on this woman by the weight of her actions.

"Thank you." She offered without seeming to process my attitude. I huffed and waited. Her face scrunched up in distaste as she took in my sparse collection of belongings. "It seems a little barren in here."

"Do you need something?" I demanded then, truly annoyed. "Other than to make fun of me?"

"Make fun?" She spun around, stricken. "Oh Hai, no. I just didn't know you couldn't write. If you want to learn I could teach you. Or we could hire someone who actually knows how to teach. Everyone complains about my penmanship. I rush too much, mother says."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" I tipped my head to the side to study her. "Hai. No one has ever called me that before."

"Oh. It's a nickname." She shrugged, going back to picking at my bed with my plain sheets tossed over a simply mattress. "Like how Kuya calls me Hichi. It's what we call you when we talk about you."

I pulled back and then opened my mouth, not sure why I was so surprised. "How often do you two talk about me?"

"All the time. You're about the one interesting thing to discuss right now." She shrugged, her back to me. "She won't ask me about where I've been so instead we talk about you."

The insult I'd felt before eased into interest. I had noticed that the family tiptoed around Amon-Shinpi's disappearance and reappearance. The entire city seemed to avoid the topic. No one but me asked her to elaborate on her tales, to define her experiences. Everyone else just seemed to want to forget she had ever left at all. It was like they wished to erase the last few years of her life completely.

"Why is that?" I wondered aloud.

"I think they're scared of what I might tell them." She answered, her voice different than before. Reserved. Controlled. Her movements were decidely precise as she kept her back to me pulling my pillows from the bed before running her fingers along the edge of my mattress as she paced the length of my mattress until she came to the end where my discarded blanket waited in a heap. "Maybe they're scared to hear that I'm exactly what everyone called me when I was gone."

"You don't have to do that." I told her, watching her stop mid-action as she tried to make my bed, pulling at the woolen material to stretch it from foot-board to head.

"I don't mind. It's unseemly if I don't." She went back to it, lifting the material and pulling it down so it flared out and slowly came to rest atop the sheet and mattress. Her practiced hands began smoothing over the wrinkles, pressing and searching and eradicating until the surface was as flat as an iced over river. Stooping down she collected my pillows.

"I mean, you don't have to hide your emotions from me. I don't need you to protect me from them."

Her hands stopped again, her back straightening as she stiffened. This time she grew incredibly still, motionless.

"I don't think I feel like training today." She dropped my blanket and marched toward my door. "Mother might though. You should ask her."

Then she was gone and my door drew closed inaudibly, pulled so carefully by her hand.

It was a few days later that I waited in the garden for the right moment to strike. I'd been stewing on our conversation for all that time and I couldn't contain myself anymore. Amon-Shinpi hadn't approached me much since and it was upsetting to say the least. She was my one connection to this world and it didn't sit well with me that she was avoiding me. Worse, I knew why.

I knew even while I lounged against the castle wall, tucked from view facing the garden, that I was about to get myself into trouble. Amon-Shinpi would likely be furious with me, but we already weren't talking so I didn't feel I had much to lose with her. Even still, my mind was made up. I had to do this. I had to confront the invisible wall dividing her from her beloved family. I knew that this act was well outside my rights. It didn't stop me from marching right up to Kotaru and Aiofe as they strolled through the flowers so I could interrupt their smiling conversation. Coming to stand before them, feet planted and shoulders squared I didn't bother faking a smile. Instead I let them see the grim seriousness that rested in my soul.

"She missed you." I told them without waiting to be asked what I was doing. "When she came to my village all she did was tell stories of her family. When I asked her where she was going, she said home."

"Hayato-" Kotaru started, his own expression fading from his usual calm happiness to something with more substance to it.

"But more than miss you, she was terrified of coming home to face that she had disappointed you." I charged through his words, remorseless. "There is nothing in this world that means as much to Amon-Shinpi as her family. I barely know her and I know this is the truth."

"Hayato." Aiofe spoke my name firmly.

"No." I shot her a look. "I will not stop. I don't care if it means I have to leave. You need to hear that you are hurting your daughter, the daughter who would kill or die to protect you. The daughter who sent herself away to avoid seeing the shame in your eyes when you looked at her. I don't think you fully appreciate exactly what it is that she's done for you."

"You have no idea what we went through." Kotaru's voice came out cold. His anger was quiet, unlike his daughter's. But it felt just as sharp. Aiofe touched his arm, clearly alarmed. In any other moment I would be alarmed too, but I wasn't. Because I wanted him to be angry.

I stared him in the eye, seething with my own justified rage.

"Do you even know how she met me?" I demanded of him, my anger bubbling over. My palms grew hot and I knew that they were turning that harsh, burning white. I curled my fingers inward to hide the light. "She saved my life. Because your daughter is an honorable and powerful woman who could not bare to see injustice persist. She destroyed a warlord's entire camp because she saw his men kill a child. When I was thrown at her feet with my wings broken, she healed me without pause. She saved countless lives and you don't even care. You don't see her. You see what she did, you see what she's capable of and you're afraid. And quite frankly, she deserves more."

When Kotaru opened his mouth I shook my head.

"If it weren't for her I'd be dead." I dared him to argue with me. I felt it all surging up through my body, my anger. My wings ripped through my tunic, shredding the material as though it were dry leaves as they released themselves from my skin. The heat spread from my palms up my forearms. My fingers had grown into claws, my nails sharp and long and ready. "You have no right to make her feel unwelcome in her own home!"

"Hai!" Blue eyes filled my vision suddenly as Amon-Shinpi's hands grabbed my face and pulled it down toward her. She stared at me, holding me, concern etched into her brow. "Calm down."

"No!" I tried to pull away but she didn't allow me to. I couldn't even pretend I was a match for her strength, not even like this. "No, they need to know."

"Shh." She hushed me gently, quietly. Her voice had grown impossibly soothing and soft. It was the same cajoling tone Kuya often used and I hesitated at the sound of it. "It's fine, Hayato. I already know what they think. This won't help me, okay? You have to calm down."

She moved her hands down from my face to my neck, then down my arms until her palms pressed to mine. The whole time her eyes never left mine. She didn't flinch or retract from the heat of my anger. She only offered her stalwart support as her fingers once again found homes between my own.

"It's okay." She whispered gently. "It's okay, Hai. It's okay."

But it wasn't. It wasn't okay and I wasn't ready to be told that it was. This was an injustice. It was wrong. It had to be corrected.

"They need to know that you're a hero." I told her quietly, emotion leaking into my voice, clouding the anger with frustration and to my surprise a tinge of despair. "They need to know."

She squeezed my hands again, shaking her head slightly. Tears glistened in her eyes, her lips pressed together so hard they shook. Her hands left mine as I felt my anger desert me. I moved to wipe at the tears spilling over her lashes. I hadn't meant to make her cry. With a voice that wavered she reached up and brushed one of my cheeks with the back of her hand. "You're crying, Hai."

I hadn't even realized I was until she pointed it out. Then I couldn't stop. I grabbed her hand and held it to my face for a second before the smell of blood and scalded flesh struck me, the slick feeling of blood coating my fingers. I staggered back from it. I gaped at the ruined skin of her palms and fingers, singed and missing. Horror filled my stomach, threatening to disembowel me from the inside. My breath came out in a hiss between my teeth, uneven.

"It's okay." She assured me, offering a calming smile. "I knew what I was doing when I grabbed you, Hai."

"You're an elemental." I quaked, appalled at the crime I had committed unknowingly. The idea of hurting her, of being capable of it disgusted me.

"Unfortunately, fire is not something I have control of." She shrugged and still the pain didn't register on her face. "Are you done yelling now?"

"I think so." I nodded, feeling small and ashamed and full of bile.

"Good, then take me inside where you can clean my wounds." She nodded toward the castle and I glanced behind her to the king and queen. "You can practice healing me, I'll walk you through it if you need. We fix what we break."

"Amon-Shinpi." Her father called, his voice tight.

She didn't look at him over her shoulder but I saw her face change. Breathing out she stood taller, looking me in the eye and then offered one steady nod. "Hayato needs me right now, we can talk later father."

I didn't know where to look so I just stared at the ground as she lead me toward the castle.

It was hours later, after I had cleaned Amon-Shinpi's raw skin and watched her heal herself once my unsteady attention proved me incapable, when I was hiding in my room so I could blame myself in peace that there was a knock on my door. I didn't answer to it at first, scared of it who it might be. My fears were confirmed when the king's voice sounded through the wood.

"May I speak with you?"

Having no choice, I got up from my bed and moved to open the door for him. I kept my eyes averted, partially out of respect. "How may I help you?"

Just like his daughter, Kotaru made his way into my room without waiting to be invited. Once inside he looked around, brows pulled down. I watched him warily. "She looks a lot like you."

"She does." He nodded, the news to surprising to him. I suppose he'd have known already. "I wanted to discuss the business from earlier with you."

"I understand." I closed the door and prepared myself for the worst. "I was out of line, sire, and I know that I was. I lost my temper. It wasn't my place."

He raised his hand to cut me off and I heeded the unspoken command.

"It's terrifying." Kotaru told me, displaying a level of vulnerability I hadn't expected to see in a king. He swallowed and licked his lips. "She's my daughter, Hayato. I love her more than I love myself."

I nodded without a word.

"Losing her was the worst thing that has ever happened to me." He explained. Then he gestured to his missing arm. "Even losing an actual piece of myself didn't hurt me as badly as when we found her hair and nothing else. The idea that she was out there in the world, alone, it kills me inside."

I listened without movement or comment.

"That night I lost my father, my mother and my daughter." He went on. "And I thought I would never see any of them again. You have no idea how many nights I stayed awake praying she'd come home, wishing to know the gods were real just so that they could deliver me my child again. Hoping she was at least safe where ever she was. Amon-Shinpi's always been smart, resourceful."

"I know." I told him. "You all love to talk to me about how she's always been. What she was before."

He mopped at his face with his hand. "You need to understand that I would do anything for my children."

"Then ask her where she went."

Kotaru lifted his gaze and stared me. Maybe it was my tone. I'd already dug my grave, might as well pull the dirt back down on top of me.

"She did a lot of really amazing, interesting things. She told me those stories and I knew I had to come with her." I looked around the room they'd given me as my own. "She's smart, resourceful, strong, and compassionate. She's amazing."

"She is." He agreed.

"And she hates herself so fucking much." I leveled him with a look.

Kotaru swallowed, his expression grim.

"She told me you might kill her if she returned and I chose to come anyway." I explained to him. "She was ready to die for what she'd done here. But she came back anyway. I think that says a lot about her."

"About you too." Kotaru suggested.

"We're not talking about me. We're talking about her."

"I didn't know." He told me, looking lost and frustrated. "I didn't know why she ran. We would have never blamed her. We will never blame her."

"She thinks you're scared of what she's become." I told him. "She's remarkable and she lives in fear that the ones she loves most are disgusted by her."

"We aren't." He insisted.

"Maybe you should tell her that." I gestured to the door. Then I lowered my hand. "I'm sorry for speaking so harshly and out of turn."

"No you're not." He didn't seem angry, just honest. Of course he was right so I didn't argue. He offered me a crooked grin that looked familiar, but faded as he spoke. "We're an emotional family. It's not that uncommon actually. Did she really think I would kill her?"

"She seemed to expect it as a necessity." I nodded, gesturing loosely with my hand. "I think that might be more on her than on you though. Guilt seems to be the one thing that breaks through her pride."

He started for the door but paused once he was beside me. His hand came out to grasp my shoulder and I was amazed that his whole family seemed to love touching so much. "I'm glad you're here, Hayato. She needs someone who will stand for her the way she stands for everyone else. Keep protecting her."

"I will." I promised. "It's the only reason I stayed."

"You know, everyone else in this castle serves Aishling. We all work our whole lives in service of Sayol and this city. It's nice to know that someone is here who is willing to serve a higher purpose." He released my shoulder. "I would rather cede this entire land than see my children come to harm. You being here just to keep my daughter safe and in good company means the world to me. It's a comfort no amount of power or privilege can buy."

I watched him open the door, perplexed. Then he offered me a laugh and a cheeky grin, shaking his head.

"Welcome to the family, Hayato."

The first time I watched Aiofe best her daughter in training I couldn't contained my awe. Dirt from the floor rose up as the decisive thud of her back connecting with ground sounded her loss. For a moment she just lay there, stunned on a bed of her flaming hair, and then she laughed. It was a wholesome sound from deep in her stomach that filled the room with warmth.

"Are you okay?" I called, practicing my letters in a diary on the sidelines.

"In order to grow the spider has to shed." She responded.

"Hit her again would you?" I looked to Aiofe with a dull expression, earning myself a wry grin in return. "She's up to that cryptic nonsense again."

"Yes, Hai, I am fine." Amon-Shinpi flipped to her feet and brushed at the dirt on her back. "I'm just delighted to be learning something new. Every time I think I have all the answers a new problem demands a solution."

"You lost." I pointed out.

"We rarely learn from victory." She winked at me, walking over to pull on my arm to get me to rise. "Your turn _ean beag_. Show mother what you've learned."

* * *

"I think that's enough for now." Hayato leaned back in his chair with a wry smirk that earned Kurama's immediate ire. "I've been speaking for so long."

Kurama had to agree, he had been talking for quite a while. The sun's weary light had begun to filter through the windows announcing daybreak in lines of muted gray. The wind continued to howl and rage, the storm still heavy in the air outside the temple walls.

"I feel you might have found it in yourself to be more succinct." Kurama noted dryly, rubbing at his face as he tried to forcibly stifle a yawn. So much for _him_ being the conversationalist of the group. Hayato had outpaced him by miles this time. And the raven had seemingly done this intentionally.

"I could have been, but then would you have truly felt the experience?" Hayato asked. "I mean, you wanted to hear the truth didn't you? So you could learn about Hichi."

"I could have learned more about her if you hadn't spent the last several hours detailing your own mundane existence." Kurama remarked, exhausted and beyond the need for decorum. "I think you kept me up on purpose so when we walk out of this room she'll assume I was the culprit."

"You think I'm so insidious?"

"I think you're an ass."

Hayato smiled and the expression rang clear and loud to Kurama as confirmation of his accusation. So be it.

"We'll finish this story another time." He assured the raven with a glower. "I do need to sleep at some point."

"Naturally. I'm sure Hiei and Hich will both be awake by now anyway." Hayato nodded. "We can both rest easy."

Kurama rose from his seat, a million questions buzzing noisily in his brain. Before he walked a step he leveled his conversation partner with a stare. "Did you really hatch from an egg?"

"Of course." Hayato's off-guard expression turned quizzical.

"I thought you made that part up to mess with me." Kurama admitted before a yawn that he couldn't stifle escaped his mouth. "Interesting. I'll have more questions later, Hayato. Try not to die in your sleep."

"I wish you the same, Kurama."


	10. Meanwhile

**A/N: Sorry this took so long guys. I know the Hayato chapter was hella long. I am trying to improve my writing so this was a little more challenging to compose. I****'m also doing the inktober prompts in the form of short chapters for another project that I'll hopefully stick to. Thank you for your patience and for continuing to read. **

* * *

In the early morning of the day leading to Kurama and Hayato's conversation, Hiei lay awake on soft sheets alone basking in the quiet dark as he examined the day before. He'd taken refuge in Shinpi's designated room in the temple, claiming her bed as his own. He supposed more often than not it was their bed when they were there together. Head pillowed on folded arms, Hiei raised his chin to his thoughts.

But they weren't there together very often, if he were being honest. That's why the air smelled more strongly of her than of him in their shared spaces. Their home didn't retain his scent when he left. A foreign and annoying blossom of doubt came to life in his chest, bringing his hand to the key that rested on his bare chest tied around his neck with a leather cord. He wasn't sure why he was so viscerally aware of his shortcomings as a partner, or even why after two years he thought of them as shortcomings. The entire time they'd known each other he'd had to come and go, this wasn't new. He had never been particularly open about his affections, yet it suddenly felt as though he had a collar squeezing his throat to keep him from speaking up when someone suggested he didn't suffer from the same deep spirals of emotion as everyone else. This was new, frustrating. It was unwelcome and unnecessary. Shinpi generally asked of him what she wanted, it's one of the things he appreciated about her. She wasn't a quiet, meek woman. If any of this had been building up inside her, bothering her, she'd have voiced it.

Right?

Or would she have vented to Kurama or Hayato and convinced herself that it was hopeless to ask him to change?

They all thought him too stubborn, too rigid. He knew it. The joke was common in their group, he was the cold one. The stoic one. Surely she knew that wasn't the truth of his character though. He had shown her, hadn't he? How much she meant to him. Maybe it wasn't enough. Maybe she needed more but was too afraid to ask. Maybe she'd given up on asking him.

He closed his eyes, dragging a palm over his face. No. That wasn't Shinpi. Shinpi would talk to him. He knew that. This anxiety was deeply unsettling, it had come from nowhere. He had no precedent for it.

He needed to corner her into a conversation about their relationship, an idea that would have never occurred to him even just a year before. Part of that discussion needed to revolve around her total lack of self-concern when it came to her well being. It would have to wait, he knew, until he could actually speak to her at length. This was something he wanted to hammer out to completion, no room for doubts or holes for his mind to widen.

Despite them falling asleep together, Shinpi had woken up and left a while before, barely rousing him with a hint of a kiss and a gentle word. He'd registered her absence but didn't fully feel it until he awoke on his own, without her arm strewn over his chest. The bed felt larger without her in it, a luxury suddenly seeming needless. Shinpi made being indoors and sleeping in a room feel natural to him. He knew she was off somewhere in her thoughts, either pacing or writing them out in her journal to work through them. The idea of looking for her occurred to him but he decided against it even though it persisted silently for a few minutes. Shinpi had likely left so he could rest. She needed her time to process, and he could use these hours for himself to the same effect. It wouldn't do him any good to go to her like this, riddled with unfounded confusion.

Instead he should focus on something else until it was time to address these nonsensical emotions.

Examining their joint efforts the day before seemed like a good enough distraction and he hungrily latched onto the memories. Falling into step beside Kurama had come naturally despite how long it had been since their last fight. He'd been stuck to Shinpi's so long he hadn't realized how much he missed working with the fox, nor had he processed how long it had actually been since they'd been partners in crime. Years. Between Shinpi and Mukuro and trouble he hadn't found much time for Kurama or anyone else. The urge to adjust his priorities itched, but he wasn't even sure how to go about it all. There was no stepping back from his dedication to his work. And he didn't really want to sacrifice what time he had with Shinpi. For the first time in his life he longed to have more time on his hands even though he wasn't entirely sure what he'd accomplish with it.

The window shook in it's pane as a tear of wind pushed against the glass with vehemence. Hiei shifted in the bed, uncomfortable with the surplus of room surrounding his body. Sitting up he pressed his shoulders against the headboard and listened to the rage battering against the temple's protective walls. His fingers dug into the comforter, gripping the material. The storm had descended on them out of nowhere. Normally Shinpi warned them about major weather events, she liked everyone to be prepared _just in case_. He'd been there when she'd forced a large tote of supplies into Yusuke's hands because he'd let it slip that they didn't have an emergency kit in their apartment. Maybe she had known and just hadn't expected for them to be there when it struck. Even she wasn't infallible when it came to her timing.

He relaxed, then scrunched his nose. The wind was truly howling out there, and he cold feel cold seeping through the walls. Already awake with no hope of returning to sleep he relented to his mind's demand to get moving and slipped out of bed. Grabbing his sword from beside Shinpi's where they leaned together against the wall he tied it to his pants. Out in the hall near the front entrance he tugged on his boots. He glanced toward Shinpi's shoes and noticed a small puddle of water under them which wrung a smile from him. Foolish woman. She shouldn't have thrown herself into the swamp water. It made him think about how cold her feet must have been as she raced from Kurama. Had the pain of the chill slowed her down? If they'd fought in the spring would the fight have still tipped in Kurama's favor? Grabbing his cloak, he draped it around his shoulders then fastened it closed. His scarf followed, winding around his neck. With a deep inhale he relished for a moment in the way it smelled of both himself and his woman. She'd worn it so often it was like she'd woven herself into the fibers and left that part for him to enjoy.

Unbidden the image of her outside the brothel struck him, seizing his brain. Her standing there looking mildly ashamed swathed in Kurama's sweater. He shook his head to dispel the thoughts rising and made for the door.

He was awake, he might as well be moving. He'd perform a perimeter check and be sure that the temple wasn't falling apart. He wasn't particularly worried about them being attacked. Genkai's grounds were a known neutral zone. Sure, that hadn't stopped a handful of rogues from breaking that trust but the results were known. Swift retaliation awaited anyone who dared violate the sanctity of the old woman's lands. All were free to roam, to stay, as long as they behaved. Hiei just preferred it if they all stayed far away from the temple proper.

The door nearly flew into the wall when he pulled it open, a surprise gust nearly ripping it from his hand. Hiei yanked it closed behind him with a frown. Where they'd fought over grass and dirt the day before was a thick coat of white. Despite the clouds blanketing the sky, a subdued light filled the lawn where the snow reflected back what little brightness the world still offered. Crimson eyes sweeping, he studied the land from the front landing of the temple. No footsteps broke the surface of the snow, not until he stepped down. A few inches deep, it wet the ankle of his pants. He had time to kill so he took his time trudging around the building, stopping now and then as brutal surges of wind bit at his face and whipped through his hair. Even he had to pull his scarf up to cover his nose and ears.

He found a single light on in one of the rooms and as he mentally mapped out the interior he knew it was the reading room Shinpi loved to hide in. Through the window he saw not one but two shadows and he knew even from a glance the other was Kurama's. Good. Hopefully they were situating whatever the hell was going on with them. Though he doubted it. Kurama likely would cave to Shinpi's whims, as usual, without addressing the route of his frustrations. Also as usual. As long as this ended in them getting along, Hiei didn't care. He moved on.

The snow crunched under his practiced footsteps, not melting anymore so than it would have for anyone else. The truth was that he didn't always radiate the heat Shinpi had come to expect from him. He hailed come from a land of ice and snow and it was just as much apart of his element as fire. It was only when he exuded energy that his temperature spiked, and around Shinpi he was almost always in the throes of some emotion that thawed his usually indifferent blood.

The facts were bare, she made him warmer.

Carried by compulsion Hiei came to stand in the place where yesterday's bout had begun. In his mind's eye he could see Kurama beside him, bantering and teasing despite his underlying tension. The fox's jaw tightened between words, teeth clenched together ever so briefly. His gestures were stiffer, lacking the careless languid taste they held when he was at ease. His though, that's where he lacked any control. The corners were pinched ever so slightly, the brightness they often held dimmed and replaced with a different light. When Kurama regarded Shinpi he didn't just see her as their friend or opponent. He saw her as the lesson she needed to learn. Hiei traced the way long, elegant fingers wove the rope around ready thin wrists, offered so freely in Shinpi's infinite trust of them. The practiced knot that formed to warn her of her situation. The fact Kurama pulled the bonds a little tighter than necessary, likely just to make Shinpi as uncomfortable as she made him.

Hiei wondered if he even knew that's what he was doing.

Probably not.

Because if he did, Kurama wouldn't have done it in front of him. He liked to keep his secrets buried like something dead and rotting even though they were very much so alive and clawing their way to freedom.

Sooner or later they'd break the surface.

What a day that'll be, Hiei's lips lifted just slightly at the mere idea of it.

His hands remembered tugging on the rope to be sure Kurama hadn't let his compassion get the best of him. The rough surface chaffed his palms and he could only imagine what it was doing to Shinpi's skin. It wasn't his concern in the moment, but now that he was thinking on it maybe they should have chosen something gentler. Would it have had the same effect? No, they made the right choice. Any sign of leniency and she'd have failed to accept just how badly she had misstepped. The look in her eye when he spoke to her, reacting to the mirth he'd let show. When trouble wafted around her, Shinpi always tipped her chin up a hair. Those radiant blue eyes of hers shone with determination and excitement. She truly did love a challenge.

Too bad she'd met her match between him and Kurama. The alarm that rang through her form as she threw herself backward, narrowly escaping the fox's first assault told him everything he wanted to hear. She was on her toes, weight shifting with subconscious ease in the face of a threat. Shoulders curved forward a bit as she hunched down, ready to spring or flee. Feet apart, mouth pressed into a line. That cobalt gaze coming through narrowed lids. Nostrils flared as she tracked their scents. Then she was moving again, dancing around their blows with the violent elegance that set her style apart from the rest of them. Kurama fell into rhythm with him, their responding choreography lacked her grace but it met her brutality step for step.

Where he ended Kurama continued and vice versa. Shinpi had him memorized, something he already knew. They practiced together so often, fought side-by-side enough that she could predict his movements. The flip side to that coin was that he knew her too. It was always a new thrill down their spines when they managed to surprise one another. Grow, climb, challenge, change. Their goals were in tandem. Kurama though, he wasn't as easy to pin down. He was creative, vindictive, and as cutthroat as any of them. His ruthlessness didn't discriminate based on ties of friendship. No amount of planning could prepare anyone for the fox's assault because he would puzzle out their knowledge of him sooner or later and when he did he would transform into something worse, better, more than they'd ever dared to scream about in their nightmares.

The three of them were kindred spirits in that way, even if Kurama held the patent on the behavior.

Hiei moved through the snow, watching his surroudings while buried deep in reliving the enticing moments playing through his mind. The way he had to sweep himself away from Shinpi to allow Kurama's forward assault. He probably could have done more. Upped the stakes. The urge had been there to introduce his fire to the fray just to watch Shinpi evade him with all her prowess. He'd held back because something else had immediately grown more interesting than his own desire to destroy her notions of self-ascribed invincibility. The flash of Kurama's whip, thornless but cracking, narrowly missing it's target. The caution coloring cobalt as Shinpi skittered back, defenses high and gaze unrelenting. A thread of indescribable, undeniable tension pulled tight between the two animal youkai. How long had it been since he'd seen Shinpi's back straighten under the weight of a threat barreling down on her? When was the last time he had seen Kurama advance with no remorse?

It was the worst of both of them and he couldn't get enough of it.

The swamp had frozen over, leaving slick patches under the snow where the water had pooled at Shinpi's call. He watched their phantoms in his mind, the replay of this scene tangibly clear.

Kurama's quick-witted idea of trapping Shinpi in a cage of his own making had bought them enough time for Hiei to goad his friend a little. It also had allowed Kurama to recover for a few minutes. The speed of his tree growing, the control he had over it, had been impressive. Even Shinpi hadn't been able to react in time to avoid becoming encased in those demonic branches. They hadn't been able to hold her for long, just as he'd warned. Watching the water bead on the surface of the branches, knowing that Shinpi was inside probably baring her teeth, chin and eyebrows pulled down as her heated rage, it felt dangerous. That flood of knowing adrenaline in response to her furious power even before experiencing whipped through him.

He knew her so well, he could see her next move.

The trick was avoiding it.

The look on Kurama's face when Hiei had told him he'd charge ahead, that Kurama was falling behind had been priceless. Instant fury just add fire demon. And the scornful rage of being struck in the face by Shinpi's water whips. It had filled Hiei's stomach with delight. Shinpi hadn't realized what monster she was creating, but Hiei knew and he wasn't about to warn her. She fell on him and he lost to her on even ground. But Kurama?

Oh.

Kurama.

Kurama did not handle being restrained well.

His pride dwarfed even Shinpi's, and she had no clue. Pinning him to the ground so easily, so completely robbing him of his autonomy had sealed her fate. There was no doubt that he'd break free. Hiei had known Shinpi was going to lose the minute she'd revealed the move. That's why he laughed as he laid on the cold ground.

Hiei moved to the tree line and began to retrace his path from the day before. The snow here was just as undisturbed as the rest. Nothing had paced through the trunks to get a glimpse of the temple. Nothing had come calling in their sleep only to be frightened away.

He'd watched them closely from that moment on. He'd learned years before that while Shinpi always could tell when someone was watching _her _she couldn't sense it if someone else was being watched. Or if that attention was just to the left of her. Her and Kurama were too wrapped up in each other's attention to notice him also stalking through the trees anyway, his energy cloaked but his excitement bared. Shinpi made the calculated risk of running to the trees. It was the only choice he guessed. The water of the swamp would have been freezing to her by now, her gait was disrupted.

If she'd been in her old body she'd probably have lasted longer.

His tongue slid over his bottom lip as Kurama scaled a tree silently, crouched in the branches looking down on their little wolf. His chest heaved, sweat shining on his temples and face. He mopped at it with one hand, wiping it on his jacket before settling himself. He threw a branch to one side. Shinpi stiffened. He threw on to the other. She didn't move from her protected spot below him.

Hiei alone saw the flash come over those green eyes, the glimmer of gold that disappeared as quickly as it rose. A heartbeat belonging to something he tried to hide. Then he fell on her and Hiei crept closer on feet practiced at keeping stealthy in the treetops. Shinpi cried out. Kurama didn't relent to the sound. If Hiei didn't know better he'd say it only stirred the fox up more. The utterances of his prey below him probably. And of course Shinpi doing her patented 'please wait' move. He always paused because the idea of actually harming her sickened him.

It haunted his worst nightmares.

Kurama didn't hesitate. He never hesitated, Hiei reminded himself. Once the fox had a goal, a target and a way he moved forward relentlessly. This was no different. A shock ran down Hiei's spine at hearing 'I know how hard I hit you'. Part of him still wanted to put a stop to it then, even though he knew Kurama wouldn't maim Shinpi. Defending her felt good, he enjoyed it. He couldn't interrupt. This was more important than him or his feelings. She had to learn.

Kurama had always been a harsh teacher.

Watching the two of them go toe-to-toe was new. Kurama flipping Shinpi to the ground not once but twice. Her slamming him into a tree trunk only to be met with his immediate furious retaliation. Shinpi's back hitting a tree, Kurama's hands controlling her arms. Her brows folding together as her lips parted as confusion swept over her. Trapped, restrained, at his mercy she couldn't seem to believe or understand what happened. Her mouth moved, words spilling out in a last ditch effort to get what she wanted.

Victory.

It wasn't hers to claim. Kurama bested her, refuted her, domineered over her. He held her in place so she couldn't struggle her way to freedom. Hiei sat above them without them even noticing the movement of the branches. Long fingers and a steady palm pressed to Shinpi's neck but she called him on his lack of conviction. A dangerous move. She waxed poetic about the past and didn't even realize she was unraveling the fox at his delicate seams. Hiei felt the moment she broke Kurama, earthy energy spiking wildly and with it the plants exploded outward in response. They converged on the source of his vexation. Shinpi's throat became ensnared, her eyes wide with shrunken pupils and again that itch to intervene caused Hiei's fingers to curl to his palms.

Kurama was dangerous enough in control of himself, this was getting out of hand.

Her voice, soft and pleading tried to call his name but he was too lost in himself to hear her. He yelled, demanding she call for him. There was a desperation in his tone that Hiei picked up on but Shinpi didn't react to. Once he lifted his head though everything ground to an immediate halt. Constricted, Shinpi yielded. Hiei's lips lifted to one side as the heat of victory warmed his stomach. It didn't matter he wasn't the one who had won, it was still his goal that had been reached.

Kurama gathered himself.

Hiei allowed him that moment before announcing himself to dig at his partner's wounded ego. Shinpi pouted, whining. Kurama bantered. The steady ground between them returned as he refused to cave to her demands. Would he leave her there? No, of course he wouldn't. Kurama had a hard time saying no to Shinpi no matter what this display had suggested. When Hiei entered the conversation with humor Kurama looked relieved, like he was glad someone else had arrived. Shinpi however looked annoyed.

Hiei offered her a smile that he knew she wouldn't appreciate given her predicament.

Hayato did what he did best and swooped in to rescue Shinpi, that trademark scowl of his on display as he glowered at the two of them. As if they'd ever actually do serious damage to her. As if she hadn't had a thousand ways to kill them both running through her pretty skull. She could have cut them down with her wind. She could have pulled the air from their lungs or the liquid from the bodies. She had her teeth and her nails and she chose not to use them. It wasn't until she found herself in Kurama's hold that she was even close to being in true danger.

Kurama, after it was all done, looked disgruntled. Hiei let him know he'd been watching. That he'd seen the fox lose control. He'd expected Kurama to tell him that it had all gone to plan. This was meant to rattle Shinpi, to get her to understand that anyone could be a threat to her. She had to take things more seriously. He'd expected Kurama to lie. Instead-

"_I don't know what happened. I just kept getting angrier."_

Hiei looked up at his friend, saw the frustration in his eyes. The tension of his jaw that also ran through his shoulders. Taking pity on the fox, he decided to give him an out. He offered his explanation, giving Kurama his way out of the truth. There was a moment where the redhead looked ready to dismiss the notion that this was about Shinpi and her habit of appearing in control even when she couldn't possibly be. The expression fizzled, Kurama shaking it loose in a motion that moved his hair. Hiei didn't call him on it.

There was no point.

The feeling remained in Hiei though, that he had rather enjoyed the day. He hadn't spent this much time with Kurama in quite a while. That's why he'd followed Kurama to the reading room while Shinpi and Hayato enjoyed their bath. He could've gone to his room but he found himself drawn to the fox's quiet companionship. In fact, he'd enjoyed basking in it until Kurama revealed that he still wasn't quite himself but asking about Hayato and Shinpi's relationship.

He'd never vocalized his discomfort with it before which had intrigued Hiei. He'd always seen the wariness in Kurama's posture whenever Hayato was around. From the beginning they'd never really spoken to each other. At first, Hiei had assumed Kurama was the same as him and that they didn't trust the raven because he'd allowed Shinpi to come to harm. He'd allowed her to lose her most precious thing. As it turned out, that wasn't the source of Kurama's distaste.

"_Perhaps I just don't understand what it means to be so close with someone." _

What an interest truth to let slip, Hiei thought. The fox's envy was beginning to show for once. Maybe he'd been reminded of how close the two of them had been, the same as Hiei, maybe that was why. Or maybe Shinpi had done permanent damage to his personality. Either way, it was out there. Kurama was suffering from a lack of understanding of the intimacy Shinpi and Hayato shared. Lack of understanding and a desire for something akin to it.

Kurama was Shinpi's most dedicated friend.

Which made his comments about Hayato ironic, in the fire demon's opinion.

Hiei leapt from the branch he stood on to the roof of the temple. Snow fell off the side of the building as he slid a small distance upon landing. The wind cried out, whipping his cloak around him and nearly peeling his scarf off his face. Frowning he allowed himself another sweep of the grounds from his perch. Eyes moving to the sky he tried to guess how thick the clouds were, how much more they had to dump on the grounds. It was impossible.

Shinpi might know.

When he entered the temple, it was dark and silent. He took his shoes off carefully, removed his outer layers with care and hung them back on their hook to dry out. The snow had soaked into the fabric. He moved through the halls like a shadow. First he opened the bedroom door and saw Shinpi curled in their bed, arms wound around the pillow he'd been sleeping on. He allowed himself to sneak into the space to press a ghost of a kiss to her temple. He pulled the blanket over her shoulders to keep her warm and then left. The reading room was dark and empty. Kurama must have gone to his own room finally.

He hoped they'd worked their tension out.

* * *

Hiei stood in the deep snow, up to his knees out here in the far stretches of the property. There were the usual demon outliers this far, none of them approached him. Shinpi had wanted to do a sweep of the grounds herself she'd said. Her shift in mood bothered him.

A brutal winter, Kurama said. It wasn't like Shinpi to get upset over weather patterns though. Annoyed, sure, but the look on her face…

Even Hayato had been bothered to see it. Hiei frowned, glaring around him. This was just another reason to speak to her. She wasn't acting like herself and it ate at him. Was there something she wasn't telling him? Why wouldn't she?

Did this circle back to what she said to Matsuma? That he didn't worry?

He was mid-step when her energy hit him so hard he froze. It didn't just come to him, it slammed through his entire being. For a moment his lungs didn't work. The sirens in his brain screamed. Danger, danger, danger. Everything around him had stopped, frozen in time. The wind ceased howling. The snow refused to fall. Blood turning cold in his veins he managed to catch his breath, lower his foot. Then he turned on heel and ran as fast as he could to get back to the temple.

Shinpi never displayed her energy so flagrantly.

Never.

She was trying too hard to fly under the radar. She wanted to find the demon who killed her family. Who poisoned Makai with the inhibitor. She didn't want them to find her first. She was so careful.

Something had happened, he knew it as he raced. She was hurt. She was fighting for her life. That was the only reason for her power to coil so tightly, to rush so far. She was looking for him.

He pushed harder.

Why had he gone so far out of the way?

His heart sank to his feet as her lash of energy evaporated. He'd never moved so fast, he thought. Never. His legs burned. His lungs couldn't keep up. If she was fighting for her life and now there was nothing did that mean…Had she lost? He forced the Jagan open in an attempt to beat himself to the scene. He just needed to see her alive. His bandana held in his fist he scoured the area.

Had she lost?

Had she lo-

His brain stopped the panicked chant as he slid to a stop at her side, slush formed under his feet. He couldn't help it. There was no reeling in his energy right then, he was too anxious, too full of adrenaline. Shinpi was in one piece. Her hand fell away from her face and there was no blood. No other footsteps or any presence of a weapon.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded, breathing heavily as he tried to contain himself. "I was nearly to the mountains when I felt that outburst."

Shinpi blinked at him, her eyes entire body loosening up. Curving forward slightly she shook her head and studied him softly. "Of course, you were out here too. I hadn't realized."

When he turned to the raven for an explanation he received nothing. Hayato was staring at Shinpi as though she'd threatened to slit her own throat. There was fear there. Concern. It chewed at Hiei's already unstable nerves. His hands shook a little. Once he noticed he was being watched he tried to settle himself but his eyes were still dark. Still pinched at the corners. A sick feeling flooded Hiei's stomach, churning bile when he turned to watch his partner.

Bags had formed under eyes, her skin pale. She wasn't reacting to the cold and he didn't trust that. The wind had started again, the snow fell. Shinpi sighed and rubbed at her face. Tired, she told him. Jumping at shadows.

Why?

That morning she'd seemed full of energy. What had just happened?

"This wasn't an accident. You stopped the wind for miles." He spoke carefully, feeling her precariously balanced though between what he couldn't say.

"An overreaction." No shit, he thought. There were only a handful of scenarios where that wouldn't be an overreaction. She swayed on her feet a little and he wondered if it was just that she'd overexerted herself as she claimed or if it was something more. What could make her so cautious?

"What were you trying to do?" He closed the distance between them, bowing his head to hers to speak quietly instead of fighting the raging winds. The snow melted around their feet. "Shinpi, what is going on in that of yours?"

"The wrong theory." Her confession came with embarrassment. "I thought someone was watching us…"

He heard the rest of her words, but he could barely process them. She thought someone was watching them? Impossible. He'd been covering all the ground he could since the morning and had found nothing unusual. Who could possibly be out here? Maybe Koenma on his over-sized television? It didn't make sense. He pulled her close so he could hold her, pressing his cheek to her head the way she held him so often when he was upset. Over her crown he caught Hayato's attention, matching the raven's concern. If her exhaustion had gotten to the point of causing this severeness of a paranoia then it had to be addressed.

There was no more time for beating around the topic. He would talk to her today and he would make her listen to him. This was her health, her well-being on the line. He was not going to allow her to destroy herself no matter her goal or task.

At least he had the group to rely on. Kurama and Hayato would support him in this. Yusuke and Kuwabara too. If they didn't he'd just beat them until they got the message.

Her lips, frigid and dry, pressed to his. This was the key to bringing her to her senses it seemed. Her body thawed, that damned shivering taking over her form. He was relieved to see her quivering, not that he'd dare say that aloud. It comforted him because it was _Shinpi_. Hiding his confused concern behind a calm, warm smile he ordered her to go inside. He promised to look over the grounds.

Just in case he'd missed something.

Just in case they'd _all_ missed something actually. Shinpi admitted she'd found no one. Hayato hadn't seen anything either. That only fueled his anxiety but he didn't tell her that. He almost hoped he did find someone worth worrying about. It would be better than thinking that she was truly losing her mind. He didn't want to argue with her about this.

She was going to fight him on it. He knew it. She was stubborn and set in her ways and she didn't want to do this search anyway but her own. Which was unfortunate because her way wasn't working, apparently. They'd figure it out, he knew it, but it would take some time. He brushed his hand over her jacket, staying close for the moment. "Shinpi, if something is going on you can tell me. Even if it's just a theory. Even if you haven't put it all together yet."

Her smile came to him honest and he was relieved to see it that he forget to be worried for a few minutes. She kissed him again, with more feeling. He almost reached for her waist but Hayato already looked ready to regurgitate his breakfast at their displays of softness as it was. He put Hayato in charge of making sure she slept because she would probably listen to him.

* * *

Shinpi sat her desk in her borrowed room, poured over an ancient tome and a journal in a blue sweater that dwarfed her frame. Her eyes scanned the page before she scribbled out a few notes. Then she took a highlighter and ran it over a single word in the note. Her eyes narrowed on the page before she flipped back toward the beginning to reread something written who knew how long ago. Chewing on her lip she studied her handwriting, looked up to the wall and stared as she worked out her thoughts.

"You're supposed to be sleeping."

The journal hit the desk as she startled at the sound of his voice as Hiei watched. He'd been standing by the door for the better part of five minutes watching her without her noticing him. Unimpressed he stared at her dully, arms crossed over his chest. Shinpi put a hand over her heart and let out a stabilizing breath.

"I napped. You can ask Hayato, he was here. He slept too." She explained.

Hiei nodded and entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"You need more sleep." He pressed.

"I'm feeling much better." She assured him. "I'm sorry again for outside, darling. It must have been-"

"I thought you were looking for me. I thought you were dying." He cut her off, watching her mouth fall open. "You scared the shit out of me, Shinpi. You said it was because you were tired. A nap isn't going to fix that level of exhaustion so maybe you need to tell me the truth."

"Hiei." She turned in her chair, shaking her head gently. Her hair swayed in her ponytail. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to put you through that."

"What were you thinking?" He came to her desk and looked over the pens, highlighters, journal and short stack of books. His fingers traced over the page she'd been studying in her notebook. Then he pulled his hand back. "Shinpi, what is going on with you?"

She sighed, planting her elbow on the desk so she could rub her eyes with one hand. Then she loosely held her forehead, eyes down. "It's just been a weird winter."

Hiei rolled his head back and swallowed down his words. He wanted to raise his voice but he bit it back. It wasn't a helpful thing to do right now. Instead he shook his head. "Shinpi, I don't want this to turn into a fight."

"Then don't start one." She warned him, lowering her hand. "It was one slip up, Hiei. Why are you acting like this?"

He stared at her and reconsidered yelling. Again he dismissed the idea. His face apparently betrayed him though because she pulled back until she was sitting straight. He walked away from her to sit on the bed, cradling his head in his hands. He didn't know how to approach this without it driving them apart. She was so fucking stubborn. And so was he.

What was he even going to do? Ask her to quit? Impossible.

She'd rather leave him.

The unbidden thought made that sick, swirling sensation grow heavy in his stomach again. Swallowing the taste of bile he tried to word his thoughts.

"Hiei?" Her voice called, concerned. He heard her chair move but he didn't look up. This feeling was disgusting, awful. Unnecessary.

"Why am I acting like this?" He repeated the question, digesting it. He didn't look at her. "Ever since we got back from our vacation, it's become increasingly clear to me that you don't understand. I don't have to come back you know."

He lifted his face so he could look at her. His words made her skin pale, her eyes wide. He watched her swallow and he realized how it sounded, wincing.

"I mean, I only really come back for you." He corrected softly. "I look forward to seeing you every day I'm away. If I could be here more, I would. I need you to understand how much you mean to me, Shinpi. Because right now I don't think you do. I really don't."

"That's not true." She offered quietly, searching his face.

"It is." He pressed. "You told Matsuma that I don't worry about you. That I don't care."

"That was to protect you, Hiei. And me, by the way. I didn't want to deal with explaining that you beat a man half to death." Shinpi explained. "I know you care. You wouldn't do things like dance with me and go places if you didn't."

"How much?" He demanded, tone tired.

"How much?" She furrowed her brow.

"Yes, how much do I care for you." He nodded once. "I want you to tell me."

Her mouth opened and then closed as she floundered. Her head shook just a little. He closed his eyes.

"It's a hard thing to describe." Shinpi defended. "How can I quantify that? It's not a fair question."

"Shinpi, if something happens to you I don't know what I'd do. I don't. Earlier, when you had your little outburst," he gestured to the wall as he forget to keep himself calm, "I thought you were reaching for me. I thought you needed my help and then it all stopped and I thought I was too late. I wanted to vomit. I have only ever felt that way once before, so helpless and trapped and knowing someone who means something to me was going to die."

"I didn't mean-"

"You didn't tell me about the others heckling you about working with Matsuma." He continued hotly. "You never mentioned that you spent weeks away from them because Yusuke is a moron."

"I figured you'd find it boring information. I try to keep my letters to you succinct." She lowered her voice, sinking into her shoulders. "You only have a day or two between missions lately, darling. You don't have time to wade through my personal dramas. And there's reason for you to."

Hiei pulled back, scanning her. "How do you know that?"

"Know what? That you'd find it boring? Because you constantly say that sort of stuff is boring." She shrugged.

"How do you know I have such a short time between missions?" He stared, unblinking.

Her cheeks burned red and she couldn't hide it. Rolling her lips she hesitated in answering, then winced while she did so. "I worry about you, Hiei. You're gone so long and anything could happen to you so sometimes I write to Mukuro to get updates on you so that I can at least know you're alive."

His eyebrows rose on his forehead, hiding under his bandana.

"What do you want me to do?" She demanded of him. "I don't have a Jagan, Hiei. I can't just check on you whenever I want. I'm not even allowed to cross back into Makai officially because of this damn arrangement with Enma. I just need to know you're okay. I have to know."

"I'm glad she lets you know. I'm just surprised. I wasn't aware you two were speaking on a regular basis. She never mentioned it." Hiei wrinkled his nose.

"She's the only one I can count on to keep you safe." Shinpi allowed quietly. "I worry about you being out there. This drug, it's powerful and it's growing stronger. It's spreading. Six months ago it wasn't with sight of Alaric's borders and now you're fighting every other week to keep the camps at bay. If you get dosed Hiei…"

"I know." He assured her. "I know what will happen. But it won't. I won't let it, Shinpi."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my fallout with Yusuke. It only last a few weeks and of course he's right, I just. I'm so tired of hearing it honestly. I know this arrangement is shit. I do. I hate it more than anyone else. But it's necessary for now." She gestured to her books and her pens. Hiei followed her hand's movement.

"I want you to tell me more about your life. I don't like that when I come back I feel like I'm months behind on knowing you." He explained, tired. "And I'd like it if you stopped making comments about me not caring about you. It makes me think that's you actually feel. It's a shitty feeling, caring so deeply and having someone suggest you're emotionless."

"That's fair, Hiei. I'm sorry. I hadn't realized I was making you feel that way." Shinpi nodded solemnly. "I won't do that anymore."

"Thank you." He felt better knowing that. Then he prepared himself for the real battle. "You need to take more breaks from your work."

Shinpi stared at him and it slowly shifted into her shaking her head, looking away as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Shinpi, I know this is important. It is. We need to find the demon responsible for all of this." Probably best if he started this on her side. He was invested in this search too after all. "But you're wearing yourself thin. You're exhausted, you're having bouts of paranoia. What happened earlier wasn't a rational person's response to a surprise snow storm and I think you know that."

She ground her teeth and said nothing.

This was the dicey part. He had to tread carefully because she hadn't reacted well when he'd said it earlier. She was being evasive. He had to corner her a little and that was never good for either of them. But he had to get her talking to him.

"It was just you, Hiei. Like I said. I must have just been too tired to realize you were the one watching me." She explained with a half-smile. "It's dumb I know that."

"I wasn't watching you." Hiei clarified, curious. "I never said I was. I was out there but I had no reason to keep an eye on you until you threw your weight around so heavily."

Shinpi's expression faded, her eyes losing focus for a moment. Then she shook her head to dispel her thoughts. Her hand reached to nape and she fingers the hairs their with a frown.

"This happened yesterday too." She breathed, thinking. "When Hayato and I were talking I felt like you were watching me. My nape prickled. My shoulder hurt for no reason. I thought it was just because you were annoyed with me. When I was outside I felt it again. The hair on the back of my neck stood up."

"It was cold." Hiei hedged.

"I know what I feel." She argued quietly. Then she swallowed. "It doesn't make sense though. You were there, Hiei. You looked. I looked. Hayato looked. None of us found anything or anyone for miles."

He nodded in agreement. "Because there was no one there."

Her lips pursed and she took a deep breath before closing her eyes to deliver her next words. "You said I could tell you my theories even if they weren't really flesh out. Are you willing to take this with a grain of salt without getting upset over it? Or too worried? Because it's a theory, nothing confirmed."

"I'm suspicious." Hiei warned. "But I will try."

"What if it was another Jagan user?" Shinpi asked quietly. "It just started so I don't know for sure. I haven't felt it until we got here. But another Jagan would explain why I feel like I'm being watched despite no one being present."

"Paranoia from severe exhaustion would explain it too." Hiei sighed. Then he relented with a shrug. "It's possible I suppose. I'm not the only one out there. But why now? Who would want to watch you all of the sudden?"

"I don't know." She allowed, then perked up. "But, I have a guess. Hiro knew about my family line. He knew Kuya had children. If he was being puppetted by this mastermind, then chances are he would have reported this information."

"But why now?" Hiei wondered.

"There have only been a few major events in the last month that I can think of. I met with Koenma shortly before you arrived. There was a major snowstorm that night that snowed Kurama and I in. You came home," Hiei touched his key at her words, warmed that she called it home so carelessly, "and then the bust. Those are the biggest things that happened other than us coming here."

"That doesn't add up though. Those are all common events for you. If they were going to trigger something it should have happened before now." He crossed his legs, rubbing his hand over the lower half of his face. When he looked back to her she was pursing her lips. "I'm not discounting this theory. I'm just trying to figure it out. We need more information."

"I think someone knows who I am and they are trying to figure out how to get to me." She declared quietly. "And I think maybe they're an elemental. That's why the storm bothered me so badly. The night Kurama came over and got trapped with me, it wasn't supposed to snow. And I was supposed to be alone."

Hiei stared at her, then his eyebrows came down and he sneered at the mere idea. "You think someone is trying to separate you from the group."

"It's what I would do." She nodded. "I think someone knew I was supposed to be alone and they set the storm into motion. Kurama showed up unannounced, even I didn't know he was coming over. By then it was too late to stop it. A storm that big and heavy, it takes a lot of energy to get started and once it's begun it's nearly impossible to stop."

"How close do you need to be to start a storm?" He got up and walked to her, leaning against her desk to look down into her eyes.

"Me? Fairly close. I'm often the center point. During the war I was able to give myself about a half-kilometer, but only by expending a lot of my focus and energy. It would deplete me for a day or two, that's why we had to win all of our battles as fast as possible. On the ground I can go for days straight but the elements require more from me." Shinpi gazed up at him.

"But you've directed storm before. You dropped a tornado on us." He reminded. "It's possible to set one in motion and then move it outward, isn't it?"

"Yes, of course."

He nodded. "The two are probably related. If there's a Jagan user watching all of the sudden, it's probably to pinpoint your location. This elemental, if that's what this is, messed up once. That's a lot of power wasted. I'd be annoyed. It could be that they recruited help so their next hit lands."

"I can't wait for spring." She lamented.

"It's definitely a theory." Hiei continued. "It's a worrisome one at that. If this is the case I don't like the idea of you being alone so often."

"It can't be helped. Everyone has lives, including me. You're going to have to leave when Mukuro sends for you. I need Hayato out there gathering intel. The only thing I can do is take more precautions. The house is warded, I'm careful with displays of power. We'll wait it out."

"I don't want you facing this alone." He warned her. "If someone is watching you, trying to get to you, then they aren't going to respect your plans Shinpi. You have to promise me that you'll reach out for help."

His palm cupped her cheek, thumb moving over her skin delicately. He couldn't peel his attention away from her face. Just the thought of someone out there making a move to hurt her, it enraged him.

"I promise darling. I learned my lesson yesterday. I'll call for help." She brought his hand to her mouth to kiss his knuckles, then his palm. "I can't stomach having you so angry with me again."

"Hn." He pulled his hand back so he could hook a finger in the neck of her sweater. "This isn't yours."

"It's Kurama's. He's allowing me to borrow it." She shrugged. "You don't like it?"

"I like it very much, actually. Something about seeing you in these sweaters is speaking to me lately." He allowed a grin to unfurl slowly, heating his expression with something other than anger. His fingers moved to hold her chin lightly so he could be sure she grasped his intent. "I'm not done convincing you to take more breaks but I think it's time we called an intermission, princess."

"Hiei!" She cried his name in surprise, hands on his shoulders as he fluidly and quickly pulled her from her chair to set her on the desk itself. Her pens scattered, some hitting the floor. He captured her mouth before she could fuss at him for upsetting her work station, hands smoothing up her exposed legs until he found the hem of her sleep shorts hiding underneath the knitted material of her borrowed covering.

"Say my name again." He muttered moving his mouth down her jaw to her neck, which earned him a soft moan. His hands moved to her stomach, one taking her hip and the other continuing upward. His teeth grazed her throat as he cupped her breast. With his nose so close to the neckline of the sweater he could smell Shinpi, the laundry detergent and a third scent that birthed a strange, new instinct in him. The mere idea of Shinpi smelling like Kurama tugged at a primal idea and he grinned against her neck, hands moving down to her shorts to tug at them.

She shifted awkwardly, allowing him to remove them. Hiei tossed his shirt to the side, stripping it off in fluid motion before diving back in to kiss her hungrily. When her hands moved to grip the hem of the sweater he stopped her.

"Leave it on." He demanded, hands moving to undo his belt. "I want you to wear it."

"If you insist." Shinpi swallowed, raking her eyes over his exposed torso. Her fingers traced the scar running across his stomach, watching the muscles quiver under her touch. It made her grin before running her tongue over her teeth.

"Keep looking at me like that and we're going to have a problem." He warned her, placing his hands above her knees to widen the space between her legs. His fingertips pressed into the yielding flesh of her thighs.

"What problem would that be?" She breathed the question against his jaw, pulling back to nip at his bottom lip.

"For starters we're probably going to break this desk again." He commented with a smirk. "Secondly, I'm not going to be able to contain myself. That could get dangerous."

"Should I call for help?" She tipped her head back, hands running through his hand, down his neck, over his chest to his hips to tug him closer to her until he stood between her knees.

"The only name you better call out is mine." He growled kissing her roughly, he pulled back just barely to look into her eyes and then he gave up pretenses and fell into her completely.

* * *

Later that night, after Kurama's training session but before his conversation with Hayato he found himself desperately in need of water and a snack. When Kurama entered the kitchen Hiei was already there, scrounging. He kept himself quiet as he made his way to the sink. He was sure he'd mopped most of the sweat off his face but he hadn't changed his clothes and he didn't really care to endure Hiei's judgment on the obvious proof of his efforts. That tell-tale scrutiny, eyes slightly narrowed and small sneer lifting Hiei's lips. He'd seen it before, particular in regards to Kuwabara, and he didn't want to deal with it. To his relief Hiei seemed fully occupied with his task.

Hiei moved about the kitchen with purpose, gathering a plate of food out of the remnants of their last two meals. His words cut throught he silence, slamming into Kurama's already diminished energy. "Shinpi told me you don't want to train with her."

Kurama inhaled slowly, eyes closing as he gathered himself to face down another barrage of 'why nots'. He should have expected she'd enlist Hiei to break him down. Looking up from the sink where he had filled a glass of water he eyed his friend with expectant frustration for what was to come. The fire demon's back remained to him as he worked on arranging his food picking and choosing carefully from the scraps.

"Hiei, I am tired please do-" Kurama began to dissuade him, already done with the conversation.

"I think you're making the right choice." Hiei announced, speaking over him to cut him off. Kurama blinked. "I don't think it's a good idea for you two train together right now."

"Can I ask why?" Green eyes studied Hiei with fervent curiosity.

"I watched her crawl under your skin." Came the response. "What I like about training with Shinpi is that she's willing to dig into my wounds a little. She's not afraid of pointing out and challenging my weaknesses and I need that. I enjoy it. It makes me stronger and it keeps us both sharp. She doesn't always realize though that that's not what everyone wants or needs. Sometimes she digs too deep. Even I get frustrated occasionally. I just don't think that's what you need right now."

When Hiei turned around it was to be greeted by genuine surprise on Kurama's face, his water held idly in his grip though he made no move to drink it.

"What makes you think that's the reason I don't want to train with her?" Kurama asked carefully but sincerely.

That wasn't the real reason, and Hiei knew it, but it was a component so he explained, "We both know you're not at your best Kurama. You can't hide the fact you're out of shape."

Fuck you came to mind, but out loud Kurama offered, "I appreciate your candid input on my abilities, Hiei."

"That." Hiei pointed at him and his sour expression. "That is exactly why I don't think the two of you should be training together."

Kurama made a face.

"You can't take her criticism. You can't even stand hearing it." He went on, gesturing loosely. "And that's fine. You've always been like this. So I understand that this is something you want to do alone."

Kurama's expression readily challenged that idea. It was obvious from the way he stood that he expected something underhanded or biting from the fire demon.

"But," Hiei began and watched green eyes roll, "if you ever feel like you need an opponent or a punching bag that has some actual resistance to it, I'm here. It could be how it used to be and we could work together. The other day made me realize it might be nice to spend the time together more often. Maybe."

"Hiei are you saying you miss us training and working together?" Kurama asked more than a little astounded. Not just at the fact that Hiei was practically being open about it, but that Hiei was dealing with the feelings at all. The last few years they hadn't spent very much quality time together, not since Shinpi had come into their lives.

It was actually nice to hear that he was missed, Kurama thought, because before Shinpi had shown up it had been over a year since he'd last seen Hiei. He'd hoped at the time they'd get to reconnect like friends do, but then everything happened so much and so fast it was impossible to find the time to dedicate to such things.

"I might vaguely miss sharing those experiences with you." Hiei admitted with reservation. "Might."

"I think it might be nice to take you up on your offer sometime." Kurama offered a patient smile. "I enjoyed the other day too. It was like riding a bike."

"Don't make this weird." Hiei pulled a face and then rolled his eyes toward his food. "Do you want some?"

"Yes, thank you."


	11. Honesty

_**A/N: I hope you guys like the update, sorry it's taken so long! I've been craving softness so that's what I'm doing my best to deliver. **_

* * *

Shinpi wrinkled her nose at the swirling sky, adamantly opposed to it's deep pewter hue. She was entirely done with the color gray at this point. The wind whipped through the property with such a ferocity that the trees bowed to it, clashing into one another with sounds of wooden thunder. It was truly a storm to be reckoned with, and it had been sitting over her and the others for two solid days, this being the beginning of the third. The frigid tempest seemed fixed in place, moving at an infuriatingly slow pace. The city was practically buried and they were faring worse at the temple. If she'd attempted to wander down the steps, she'd have found snow as high as her ribs. It wasn't worth it to try.

The desire to probe at the storm itched at her but she rejected it.

She didn't want to worry everyone again.

Hiei was right, she had to take more precautions. Throwing her power around would only attract attention. If someone was really watching, if this was really an attempt to isolate and locate her then she couldn't give in to her frustration it would only put her and everyone else at risk.

Her guilt ate her stomach raw, knowing she had trapped them all so far out of the way. Kurama's job would surely suffer, all because he had followed her to teach her a lesson she should have had drilled into her head a long time ago. Hiei wouldn't care about being stranded. Hayato was probably enjoying the extra time with her despite his strong aversion to being confined.

But Kurama had a real life out there in the city, one that she had stolen him away from. If she didn't think it would make him look worse she'd find his boss and grovel on his behalf, accepting responsibility. Maybe he'd at least allow her to pay his bills for the month since there was no doubt his finances were going to be impacted by this lost time. He'd say no, of course. He loved to tell her no.

"This is bullshit." She complained to herself, ducking back into the entryway after a lash of snow-laced wind cut at her cheeks. Just after her words the lights in the building flickered.

The power had been threatening to die out since the early morning, the lights fighting to stay on despite the devastating natural disaster sitting on top of them. This time though the struggle seemed to best them and they lost their righteous war.

The temple went dark.

A voice called out angrily from down the hall and Shinpi sighed, bringing her hand to her face. Her eyes hurt from strain already and the sudden dark hadn't helped. A headache threatened to bloom and she knew the cause but could do nothing about it. Despite her best efforts there just wasn't rest to be found. Maybe tonight. Two pairs of socks barely kept the cold from eating at her soles. Her feet carried her forward because she knew there was work to be done but she could have just as easily stood in place and done nothing. Motions, that's what her body was ready to fall into. Just the motions expected of her.

Just enough to keep the concern at bay. The eyes from studying her too closely.

She just had to muster up the energy to give just enough.

"I thought this might happen. I scrounged up all the candles I could find." Kurama's voice announced from inside the living room before he stepped into the hall with her, a flashlight held ready but off. Her eyes swept over him, appreciating way his thick sweater hugged his shoulders. It looked soft. He'd pulled his hair back into a ponytail, the longer strands he normally kept down to frame his face pushed behind his ear on one side. It allowed to trace the line of his jaw in the darkness, once again marveling that she hadn't realized what a lovely contour it presented. He turned to look at her with a soft smile and she moved her attention to his eyes. "It was smart to have Hiei pull in wood to dry out the other day. At least we'll be able to light a fire. Where is Hiei?"

"I asked him to attempt to find something for us to cook. He's the only one of us in any way suited to battle the weather." Shinpi glanced to the doors, frowning. To distract herself she turned back to Kurama and let him see her annoyance with this whole situation. "Would you escort me around the temple? We should check the windows again, make sure all the doors we aren't using are closed. We don't want to lose what little heat we have."

"While we're at it, let's gather whatever we need to camp out in the living room." He suggested with a nod. "It's the best insulated room we have at the moment, and with the fireplace it'll be the most comfortable for us all to gather in."

"Together?" Hayato asked with a frown, studying Kurama as he came from down the hall. "Won't it get a bit cramped?"

"You've slept in closer quarters with worse company." Shinpi reminded the raven. "Would you do me the favor of gathering some blankets and pillows, Hai? If we're all going to be trapped in the living room together we should at least be as comfortable as possible. Kurama and I will make sure the temple is as closed down as we can make it."

"Wouldn't it be better for him to gather supplies? He's more accustomed to these creature comforts." Hayato argued gently. "I could go with you and secure the building."

"Or you two could go together and I could prepare the living room." She shrugged. "It doesn't matter as long as everything gets done. I just thought that Kurama and I happen to the know the temple better than you do currently, so it would be faster for us to work together."

Kurama frowned at her tone as it grew stressed toward the end of her sentence. He turned to her and even in the shadows he could pick out the bags under her eyes. The way her hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun, strands falling out with no sense of control. She rarely looked this mussed without wasn't something he wanted to address in front of Hayato. If they all ganged up on her then she'd shut down, he knew from experience.

"Please gather the essentials, Hayato. You know what Shinpi needs better than most. Hiei and I can make do with whatever gives her the most comfort, but with Hiei gone you're the only one who can do this with any degree of certainty." Kurama pressed, not even trying to be slick about his manipulation. He just wanted Hayato busy so he could talk to Shinpi alone.

"Fine." Hayato nodded but not without some attitude. "Try not to take too long, the outer wings of the temple are frigid."

"Thank you." Shinpi nodded, her eyes closed as she rubbed her face. "I appreciate your help, Hai."

He cast her a look that she didn't see but Kurama did. They met eyes and Kurama shook his head to dissuade the comment he was sure was coming. It wasn't the right moment.

Shinpi and Kurama combed through the temple's halls, door by door and room by room closing any shutters that had blown open. Checking the windows, most of which had frosted over, ice forming on the seals. Once they were far enough away from the main hall and therefore from Hayato, and in a room with enough light for Kurama to truly see the lines around her eyes which were shaded underneath by faint purple bags he decided to strike. His soft gaze didn't jar her from her work. She barely seemed to notice that he had stopped moving.

"Hichi." He brushed his fingertips over her temple, speaking her name softly. "You haven't been sleeping."

She stilled, closing her eyes at the touch. A soft sigh fell from her lips and when her lids opened again they looked heavier. "I'm not trying to worry you."

"And yet I'm still worried." He responded easily with no accusation, letting his hand fall back to his side. She looked to the window and it seemed to cost her some energy to do so.

"I can't sleep with all this snow." She explained dully. "I've been trying. I get about an hour or two before I wake up. Something about the way the air feels is wrong. Between gusts of wind it's too quiet. My brain can't deal with it, I think. I can't get comfortable."

"Not even with Hiei?" He asked, surprised.

It was no secret to him that Hiei's presence rendered Shinpi's defenses unnecessary. His friend seemed to be able to lull her into restfulness through sheer proximity. It was a trait Kurama envied.

"I think I slept maybe four hours with him?" She tried to recount. "It's hard to say. He hasn't been sleeping well either. Maybe we're playing off one another? I hope I'm not disturbing him too much."

"I doubt that you are." Kurama offered. "I don't want you to get annoyed with us fretting, but I can't contain my concern."

"I know." Her shoulders fell as though weight pulled them down and again she turned to the window, expression full of exhausted disdain. "I'm sorry I pulled you out here, Kurama. You're only stuck here because of me and my pride. You should be at home, comfortable and safe. Not here. I can't help by think about all the energy I've been costing you lately."

"You're tired." He told her, grazing his fingertips down her nape to earn her attention.

Her faced turned toward him and there was something in her eyes he didn't enjoy seeing at all.

"Aren't you?" She asked him softly, clearly searching him for a reaction.

"Of you? Impossible." He assured her, though he couldn't muster a smile. Though bullheaded and normally self-assured, there was a delicate nature in the woman before him that he was more than aware of. Her question was a call for stability, while she was balanced precariously with the threat of falling into her self-loathing and guilt. "I'm where I want to be, Amon-Shinpi."

"I don't understand why." Her hand came up to rub at her face again. It fell to her side listlessly. "You're right, I'm just tired."

He stepped toward her until he was close enough to demand her attention without a syllable. One eyebrow just barely curved upward while he stared into her eyes, probing against the penetrating cobalt that so often captivated anyone who dared get caught in her gaze. Eyes that could see minor details and visualize a bigger picture. Eyes that tore through layers of masks in others to rip into their core and pluck at the things that made them tick. Eyes that could illicit a shiver down a spine, frisson that could be excitement or fear and often one bled into the other. His silence didn't intimidate her, or rattle her. It didn't make her chest puff or her shoulders pull back. He could read through her exhaustion, could see the underlying frustration, the litany of questions she wasn't voicing, the pressure of a theory swelling in her but carefully swallowed.

Shinpi allowed Kurama his moment of assessment before she performed her own. She traced the curve of his eyebrows, the hint of a squint as he studied her. Veridian eyes penetrating her walls, delving into her secrets. She wondered what he saw in her, not just in this moment but in the million before it and in the million to come. Those eyes could strike fear into the most over-confident of fools, cut down the arrogance of an army. A slight, barely noticeable scar decorated his cheekbone from a long forgotten cut. She wondered how many other marks he carried. She'd seen him injured in The Dark Tournament so many years before. Wounds like those didn't heal quietly. For the first time it occurred to her that she'd never seen Kurama without a shirt. He never exposed himself that way.

Was that because he didn't want anyone to see or was it his nature to hide his soft spots?

When her attention strayed from his studious gaze his brow furrowed slightly, head tilting just a hair to the side in curiosity. She caught it in her periphery.

What was he hiding under that sweater? She counted the threads that wove together to make up the knitted pattern, focused on the stray fibers with intensity. How strange to even care. It shouldn't matter. Rightly, it didn't. Kurama was entitled to his privacy, to his body. If it wasn't for her to see, then it wasn't. Truly it was only because she had realized she'd never seen his abdomen that she wanted to.

Her hand rose without her bidding it to, threating to brush over his sweater where she knew that scar must be resting as she remembered the pain he'd endured to many years before. Before she could complete the act she adjusted her course and took one of his hands, studying the skin of his fingers, his wrist, then his palm. She'd seen these scars before. Years of using a thorned weapon is bound to leave it's evidence.

When she finally forced herself to refocus on his face she felt a sharp pang cut through her. Her eyes skimmed his throat and the completely unnecessary desire to press her teeth to the thin skin nearly launched her forward. Her feet shifted with intention. The memory of his hand on her neck, his thorns biting into her skin, it raised a sudden craving for retaliation. To show him she wasn't safe either. To force him back and make him feel trapped by her. Her teeth on on his unmarred skin, her nails on that stomach he protected so ferociously.

She, more than anything and for no reason she could discern, wanted to make Kurama know that she was a cruel, malicious beast too.

The thought forced her to step back from him, scalded by the heat of the sentiment. She dropped his hand as though it burned her, jerking herself away so quickly that he stepped back as well. Swallowing she closed her eyes and inhaled through her mouth not her nose. She was scared to catch his scent.

"I'm just tired." She repeated though he hadn't asked, hiding her face from him. "I'm…I just need to breathe for a moment."

Kurama remained in place, moving to reach toward her before ultimately deciding against it. What the absolute _hell_ had that been about? He didn't mind Shinpi looking him over, tracing his scars with her eyes. He forgot that he had them most of the time. He knew her attention tended to stray when she didn't want someone to see her. But that reaction. For just a moment, when she'd moved to meet his eyes once again, she'd _changed_. Her pupils had dilated, her lip had pulled up to reveal her teeth just a fraction.

Just enough.

What would she have done if she hadn't caught herself? What was her goal? Had she meant to attack him? It certainly had seemed that way. In fact, he knew it was. She'd been staring at his exposed throat.

A shock of heat sent goosebumps over his skin, tongue wetting his lips.

"Are you-" He started.

"I'm fine." She told him, finally rising to meet his attention. No smile to soothe him. "I'm sorry about that Kurama."

"About what?" He asked calmly.

"Don't stand there and appease me. I know you saw that." She growled at him then pulled herself back again, raising a hand as if to stop him from coming near her. "I think the lack of sleep, the feeling like I'm being watched, being confined indoors for so long without a choice, and being so thoroughly beaten by you has mixed to truly chafe me. My brain is looking for a scapegoat for my frustrations. That's not you."

It could be, he thought.

"I don't know what's going on with me. I think I'm just a little bitter that you won." She sighed, then pouted, studying her hands as though they had changed and she was unfamiliar with them. When her eyes met his again, they were less forceful. "Hurry up and get to where you want to be already so I can have a fair fight against you."

Kurama blinked then chuckled, his posture relaxing as he regarded her. "Who said anything about a rematch, Hichi?"

"You'll give me one by choice or by force. Either way I'm getting my victory." She tossed him a toothy grin meant to disarm him. "It behooves you to just give in to me this time. The sooner the better."

"Oh, does it?" Kurama returned the affectionate expression with soft eyes lit with humor. "I'm not sure I agree. Though it would definitely be such a sweet taste to hold not one but two wins over you. I'm afraid our friendship may suffer for it."

"Arrogance isn't cute."

"Says the woman who wears it like perfume." He tossed back with a snort.

"Fine, it's not cute on you." She amended and earned another chuckle from him. "Everything is cute on me. I mean, look at me. I'm fucking adorable."

He laughed outright and then rolled his eyes. With a grin he nodded, eyes twinkling. "That you are. It's why we let you get away with so much."

"Thank the gods for that because I know my personality isn't winning me any friends." She laughed too. Her head felt lighter, her body felt more like home. It showed in how easily her arms moved as she spoke. "I think this trip is rattling all of our bones, and as much as I love spending time with you all I have to admit I can't wait to go home. Or at least to be able to walk outside without immediately freezing into my shoes."

"Let's keep going." He urged. "Then we can enjoy the heat of the fire and pretend this is a planned vacation."

"You know what I would kill for right now? A hot tub." She groaned as she followed him out of the room, lacing her arm around her so she could lean heavily against him. "I went to a ski resort once and they had a hot tub out in the open. I hated the skiing part, and the snow, but man that hot tub was worth the whole trip."

"I can't imagine you skiing." Kurama admitted, glancing down at her. "It never occurred to me before, but it just doesn't seem like something you would do."

"I was good at it." She shrugged. "Eventually."

"That sounds like a lie."

"Good. Not great. I was passible. If you put me on a pair of skis on a mountain side I could reasonably make it to the bottom. As long as it wasn't too harsh a slope or too tricky a trail." She fought back a grin while he shook his head. "I didn't even want to go, I was invited. It was a school trip or something while I spent time in America. I should have stayed behind."

"Let me guess. There was a cute girl." He teased her knowingly.

"She had such a pretty smile." Shinpi sighed, her exclamation wistful. "Her boyfriend was cute too."

"Was it worth it? Aside from the hot tub, I mean." He didn't want to, and also couldn't, hide his humor.

"Oh yeah. It was definitely worth it." She bit her lip for a moment, lost in a memory. Then she shook herself. "Anyway, how much effort do you think it would take to convince Genkai to get a hot tub up here?"

"I will leave that fight to you."

"Coward."

* * *

Hiei stepped into the entryway, snow pouring in after him before he was able to turn and shove the door closed. The sound echoed in the darkened halls. With some grumbling he stripped off his soaked through scarf and cloak, kicking off his boots. Then he stooped down and grabbed the bag of food he'd acquired, aiming for the warm orange flow radiating from the living room door into the hall. His feet stopped on the threshold, warmth gripping him as he studied the scene inside, his shoulder resting against the frame of the entrance.

The room glowed in a mixture of soft dancing yellow candle light and burning orange from the fire place, shadows moving with the flicker of flames. Pillows and blankets were strewn over the floor atop a futon that had been pulled from one of the rooms he was sure. Basked in the light was Shinpi, lounging against Hayato's chest as he slept sitting up against the arm of the arm of the couch, a book in her hands that she read from without pause. Kurama's legs were mingled with hers, his back against the other arm so that faced her, his back to Hiei. Shinpi's eye rose from the page and met his, but she finished her passage before putting the book in her lap. Kurama shifted to look over his shoulder, offering a welcoming smile.

"You were gone for a while." She studied him. "Your face is wind burnt."

"I couldn't find anything near here. I had to go back to the city. It took longer than expected. I'm unhappy to report that this unwelcome storm is ruining everyone's lives, not just ours." He entered the room to extend the bag to Kurama.

"This is a shopping bag." Green eyes stared at the haul. "There are stores open?"

"No."

Kurama chuckled knowingly and tossed Hiei a look that was received with shrug. "I hope you didn't make too much of a mess."

"I didn't. I took what I needed and left. Humans can hardly call those pathetic locks protection." Hiei waved a hand through the air twice then turned toward the hall again. "They won't miss a few provisions. And even if they do, that's their problem. We needed them."

"Where are you going darling?" Shinpi reached out and hooked her fingers between his before he could get too far. "You only just got home. Join us."

"My clothes are wet. I'm going to change." Hiei pulled his hand away from her gently. "I'm not overly eager to face the weather again so soon."

"Bring your wet clothes in here, we'll dry them by the fire." She shifted away from Hayato and untangled her legs from Kurama's, leaving the book on the cushion she had occupied. Her mouth quickly pressed to Hiei's, the softness of her lips his first clue to how chapped his own were. He offered her a nod and tugged his damp shirt over his head, passing it to her to handle while he went to scrounge up another outfit.

Their room was so cold the air felt suspended. The strange sensation of being in some inbetween time swam over him as he rustled through the drawers for another pair of pants and a shirt. He knew Shinpi kept a spare for him here. In one of the drawers he found a pair of her more ambiguous pairs of sweats, the material a far cry more comfortable than his usual apparel. He stepped into them not bothering with the draw string. The joggers cinched at his ankles and sat lower on his hips but there was nothing to be done about it. They were pleasant to wear and that's all he cared about right then. His search for a shirt ended when he spied something folded on the bed to await washing. With a smirk he grabbed the top and tugged it on.

When he reentered the living room, it was with the knowledge he didn't have to leave again for a while and therefor he could be as languid as he desired.

"Is that my sweater?" Kurama voiced the question with some level of intrigue, puzzlement creasing his graceful brow.

"Is that a problem?" Hiei demanded in return, a bit gruffly.

"I suppose it's not." Kurama allowed, though he still looked confused. "Why are you wearing it?"

"It seemed comfortable enough so I took it. You didn't seem to mind lending it out so I figured it wouldn't matter to you." Hiei stood his hands in the pockets of his borrowed pants, his tone underscored by a dare that went unanswered. "You'll get it back eventually, more than likely."

"This wouldn't be the first time you've ruined one of my shirts if it never makes it way back into my possession." Kurama responded easily, another smile tugging at his lips. "That color suits you."

"I do wish I could get you into more color darling, it all looks so lovely on you." Shinpi announced, her smile as warm at the fire blazing in front of her as she draped Hiei's cloak over the back of a chair she'd stolen from the kitchen. His scarf hung on another, his boots resting just before the hearth. His shirt was pinned to the mantel and she walked over to take his cold, soaked pants as well. "Thank you for braving the cold, Hiei."

"Black suits my needs just fine. Anything extravagant is wasted on me, it all gets ruined either by blood or wear." He shook his head. Offering a shrug he addressed her thankfulness. "Who else would have done it? Any of the rest of you would have frozen to death and if I hadn't gone you'd all be starving and unbearable."

"Both true sentiments but it does not diminish my appreciation." She stepped back from tacking his pants next to his shirt. "And I also happen to think you look rather handsome in Kurama's sweater. I'll buy you one or two when I take Hai shopping."

"Don't." Hiei shook his head. "I'll never wear them."

"Then I'll buy myself sweaters in your size and perhaps I won't have to steal so many of Kurama's. I'm sure he's tired of renting out his wardrobe to me anyway."

Hiei glanced toward Kurama, doing his best to not be obvious about watching his reaction. Before those green eyes could turn to him he adjusted the direction of his gaze, resettling on Shinpi. "Have you slept?"

"No." Kurama supplied the answer before she could even attempt to distort the truth. "She hasn't. She's utterly exhausted."

"Thank you, Kurama." Shinpi's smile came forced.

Hiei continued to stare at her, unimpressed. "You said you'd try."

"You were gone for so long and this storm isn't getting better. I was worried about you." She argued. "I can't sleep when I'm worried."

"Nothing is going to happen to me." He assured her. "Part of what took so long is that I decided to widen my perimeter check before I left. Other than the usual outliers I didn't find any evidence of anyone on the grounds or even nearby."

She fidgeted, chewing her cheek before offering a subdued, "That's good then."

"Were we expecting someone to be out there?" Kurama's question made Hiei quirk a brow, turning his attention from the fox back to his partner. Then both men centered their gazes on her and she shook her head.

"No, we weren't. Because it was already clearly established that no one would be." Shinpi leveled Hiei with a look. "We talked about this."

"And you asked me to entertain your theory. I am." Hiei crossed his arms over his chest. He glanced to Kurama once again, noting the pressed line of the other's lips, the set neutrality of his expression manufactured to hide his annoyance. Opening his mouth to defend himself he turned back to Shinpi who looked ready to give up and retreat elsewhere. "You didn't tell him."

"I didn't want to worry anyone anymore than I already had. Jumping at shadows, as I have been." Shinpi wrinkled her nose, eyes darting to the side.

"You said you would talk to him, Shinpi."

"Talk to him about what?" Kurama dared to interject. "Am I the him in this conversation?"

"Yes, you are." Shinpi sighed. "I explained to Hiei about a theory that came to me recently. I don't have anything concrete to offer in the way of evidence right now."

"Tell me." Kurama urged her, curious. So she did, recanting her conversation with Hiei. He listened raptly, moving to sit on the edge of the cushion. "I do remember you mentioning your shoulder bothering you after the fight. I thought I'd injured you."

"You did." Hiei muttered, earning a sharp look from both Shinpi and Kurama. "That's not the point. The point is that if Shinpi thinks she's being watched-"

"Then someone is probably watching." Kurama agreed readily. "What's our plan?"

"Act natural." Shinpi suggested with a shrug. "Until we have evidence, or a direction to aim, there's not much else to do. I've already agreed to take more precautions. If you're alright with it, I'll probably be checking in more often."

"Naturally."

"As much as it kills me to say, we should speak to Koenma as well." Hiei grumbled, sneering at the mere idea. "Have him schedule more visits with you, preferably at random intervals so there's no pattern. He might not be useful most of the time but his presence does carry a weight."

"I'll mention it the next time I have to report in." Shinpi pursed her lips, arms crossed over her chest. "I can't wait for all of this to be done with. I am exhausted with check-ins, and being babysat."

"It beats being dead." Kurama told her blandly. "You'll survive."

"If it were possible for me to stay on this side of the line this wouldn't be necessary." Hiei frowned. "If I were here constantly these potential threats wouldn't matter. But I'm not, and you live alone, so you'll have to suffer through the precautions. Don't forget to talk to Hayato as well. He needs to come back more often."

"Hayato's work is important to Hichi's research, coming back too often could have negative effects." Kurama told Hiei. "I agree he should also check in, but between Koenma, myself and the team I'm sure we'll be able to come up with a suitable plan without hampering her intelligence gathering."

Hiei remained unconvinced, but chose not to argue. He made sure Kurama could see his dull expression, his quirked brow while Shinpi was distracted looking her little bird over. Kurama responded with narrowed lids and a quick, sharp, shake of his head. Shinpi turned back to them and they both straightened up just in time to appear like nothing happened.

"I'm glad you and Hayato finally started to get to know each other. It seems like you're looking out for him. It's nice, having all my boys on the same side." Shinpi offered a soft smile to Hiei and Kurama.

Hiei blinked before his eyes widened with curiosity, a grin unfurling as he turned to regard the redhead. With played up warmth in his voice he said, "That _is_ nice. You two were talking? I must have missed that, which is disappointing."

"We had a nice conversation, yes." Kurama stared at Hiei without blinking, green eyes glinting with warning that any verbal misstep might end in blood. "It was enlightening. It allowed us to come closer together on the most important of topics, which of course is our darling Hichi. He told me quite a bit about himself."

"Sounds friendly." Hiei nodded, grin growing wide enough to display teeth. "Sounds, _lovely_."

Shinpi's hand shot out on reflex, cuffing Hiei on the arm. "Will you stop, please."

"What?" He asked, unable to hide his humor. "I'm happy for them."

Shinpi rolled her eyes and then marched over to the bag of plundered grocery items, ready to explore her bounty. Hiei watched her rifle through the items until she nodded with a smile. "Thank you again, Hiei. Looks like we'll be having some stew for dinner. With enough to last a few days if needed."

"And two bottles of sake, both of which I left on the steps so they'd chill." He watched her eyes light up so he held up a cautioning finger, pointing it toward her nose. "We can open one tonight, and it will be shared between the four of us. This is a special occasion, don't get used to me bringing bottles of alcohol home."

"I'm just excited you want to share a drink with me." She tiptoed over slyly, to which he showed heavy suspicion. Her nose brushed against his before she kissed the space between his eyebrows. "I think you should help me chop vegetables. Your skilled hands should make quick work of it."

Hiei considered her demand for a moment, then nodded. "Fine."

Her responding smile was so soft and bright he felt dirty just seeing it. Undeserving. That expression for him? For saying he'd chop a few potatoes and onions and carrots? How simple was her happiness?

His lips pressed to hers without thinking, her expression just demanding a kiss. Drawing back, he blinked, surprised by his own action. Shinpi's smile remained, her eyes partially closed. Behind her Hiei caught Kurama's expression, his eyebrows raised. Once he realized Hiei was looking he quickly averted his attention to the fire.

"If you two need any help I'll be here reading." He got to his feet and moved around the room in search of a book.

"I think we can handle it." Shinpi assured him happily, reaching down to take Hiei's hand so she could steer him toward the kitchen to prepare the food for eventual cooking over the fire.

* * *

Blankets, a futon, and copious pillows merged on the floor to create a cozy nest which was happily occupied by Hayato who had his arms wound around Shinpi. A sleepy smile graced her face and his, both bathed in the flickering warm light of the fire still going strong, thanks to Hiei's active interference. He continued to stoke the ashes, adding wood. The cold retreated midway back in the room, growing worse the closer one got to the walls. Kurama sat on the couch with a blanket over his legs, occasionally shooting glances to the makeshift bed and it's occupants.

He pulled the blanket up a little and went back to reading his book.

Hiei caught it all in the window, watching the reflections play across the cold glass. His presence kept the frost from forming.

Kurama shifted again, huffing.

"You should just lay down with them." Hiei voiced quietly. "You'd be more comfortable."

"I'm fine." Kurama lied with annoyance.

"You're cold."

"I said I'm fine."

Hiei rolled his eyes and removed himself from the windowsill to sneak over to where Kurama was trying to make himself comfortable by rearranging the couch cushions. He reached over and shoved one of the pillows behind his friend, then pushed him back unceremoniously, prying the blanket off his legs. When Kurama went to protest Hiei shushed him, nodding toward their sleeping friends.

"You're cold and you're uncomfortable. Stop being an idiot." Hiei scolded, lifting Kurama's legs so he could sit with his back against the cushions caddy-corner to the redhead before allowing the other's legs to fall across his lap. Once he was comfortably situated he draped the blanket over both of them. "If you start shivering and your teeth chattering wakes up Shinpi we'll both have hell to pay."

"She's changed you." Kurama's words earned stillness of the man beside him. "It's not a bad thing, Hiei."

"She hasn't changed me." Hiei lowered his voice. "But she has shown me the merit in changing myself."

"It's sometimes the same thing." Kurama carefully adjusted himself, so he could watch his friend while enjoying the added warmth of another body near his. He'd rather be on the futon, but he was not interested in fighting for real estate against Hayato.

Hiei smirked at him knowingly, earning a grumpy frown. Garnet eyes moved away to study the woman held so tightly in the raven's arms. Kurama's question from a few nights before came back to him. Why didn't he feel threatened by Hayato's shared intimacy with Shinpi?

"When he first showed up I hoped Shinpi would kill him." Hiei stared at Hayato's closed eyes, his dark hair fanning over his arms and the pillows, his feathers tattooed into his skin but still shimmering in the firelight. "I hated him. I hated that Shinpi stopped me from killing him myself. I hated that she ran to him, sobbing, that he cried with her. I hated the stench of failure that coated him."

Kurama listened, turning to look as well.

"I didn't understand what she saw in him. Why she bothered accepting him back. It was beyond my reach to understand." Hiei went on. "Seeing them together made me feel physically ill. Oh, that raven. I did not care for him at all. It wasn't just that I loathed him for losing her, for coming back to make amends. It was that I had only just had finally gotten her to trust me, to come to me. I didn't want his interference, I didn't want to be pushed to the side."

"It's hard for me to imagine Shinpi ever casting you to the side for anyone." Kurama admitted quietly. "Even before Hayato showed up, you two were extremely close. You had been for some time."

"It didn't feel that way. It was always two steps forward, three back with her. We were never on even ground. And then it wasn't. It happened without me realizing it, but we were on the same side as the same time all of the sudden and I didn't want that threatened." Hiei swept his gaze to Kurama, leaning back suddenly with narrowed lids. "I hated you too a few times. All of you, actually. She had you all wrapped right around her little finger and none of you cared."

"That's hardly the truth." Kurama rolled his eyes.

"Yes it is. I expected it from Kuwabara and Yusuke, those two idiots would adopt a mop wearing a wig if they liked it's grit. You were supposed to the voice of reason, you were supposed to be on my side." Hiei looked toward the fire. "And you weren't. You were on hers."

"I wasn't."

"Yes, you were. You all were." Hiei sighed. "And I hated that too, because I kept having to be the bad guy because it seemed like I was the only one willing to be. She moved in so quickly, took up so much space. There were times when it seemed like you were all against me and with her. Like, she was taking my space."

"Hiei, does this have a point?" Kurama wondered quietly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, the point is that Hayato isn't a threat to you." Hiei explained with a loose hand gesture. "Those two, whatever it is that joins them, it's just made of something different. It's incomparable. But that doesn't mean that she has any less space for you or me. That's why I don't care about it. It's no threat. Took me a while to see that, but once I did it made tolerating that overgrown pheasant a lot easier."

"You like him." Kurama stated softly.

"When he's quiet." Hiei agreed. "You don't have to like him, but you do have to get used to him Kurama. He's not going anywhere unless she goes first."


	12. Nightmare

_**A/N: A bit late but it didn't take three months! Some emotions, revelations and setups in this chapter. I hope you all like it! **_

* * *

_Aishling was a blur, the city a meaningless smear of shapes and colors and she raced through it. All her life she__'d been so fast it felt like she was flying and yet this trip made her feel as though she was trudging through a bog of mud no matter how quickly she attempted to move. She didn't offer her greetings as usual to the people she knew must be watching her careen toward the castle. On her furious, terrified heels rode a storm of gathering black clouds and winds that buckled trees. She felt the air charge around her, the hair on her skin rising to meet the energy. _

_The grounds were sparsely populated, less staff than usual. Where had the guards been sent?_

_The halls were too many and too far apart and she suddenly hated the labyrinthine interior of her home. Why were there so many floors, so many wings? Why did they need so much room? What was the point?_

_The scent of blood, familiar and hot, caused her heels to dig against the stone floor so she could grind to a halt. Her hair, fallen from her braid, flew in front of her face at the suddenness, her momentum ceasing. A cold wind followed her, blowing past her body to fill the hall. Feathers, shimmering and black as an oil slick, scattered across the ground. Droplets of blood that turned into smeared hand prints and splashes against the walls. A segment of brick had been busted in entirely, the bones of the castle showing through the hole, broken. _

_Her heart cracked in her chest as tears threatened to fill her eyes, her slow feet carrying her toward the still lump of a body on the floor in front of a door. Hayato didn__'t move, he didn't seem to breathe. One of his wings was twisted at an obscene angle. Blood colored his skin and fell from his ear and mouth, and his many many wounds in steady streams. The only indication he was still alive was that awful flow of sticky crimson. She crouched and hovered her hands over him._

"_No. No, no." She whispered, wanting so badly to cradle his face in her hands and kiss his head and pour everything she could into him. Her hands shook as the truth of what needed to happen gripped her. "I love you. I'm so sorry. I love you so much, I'm so sorry."_

_She pulled back from him feeling a pain in her chest not unlike when her sister had died. It threatened to buckle her, stealing her breathe but she refused to crumble. Instead she rose and stepped over her last friend, and she pushed open the door he had failed to enter. Her mind echoed as she stared inside. _

"_Darling, you're home early." Hiro turned to her, smiling while his golden eyes glittered. The tang of blood flooded around her, and it drug her attention to his stained hands. It was the first detail she was able to truly understand. _

_The next was that her son had been torn open, his chest cavity empty, barren of his core. His heart. Blood pooled around his feet, stained his trousers and shirt. There were bruises on his face, as though someone had gripped him._

"_What have you done?" She asked him, cruel emptiness flooding through her, robbing her body of meaning. She walked forward toward her son, suspended by his wrists by chains. When had Hiro installed these awful things in his office? Her tears were falling, she felt the chill on her cheeks. Her hand reached up to touch Kin's cheek, finding it colder than her spirit. There was no color there. _

_His eyes were still open, though barely. His mouth slack. Her fingers skimmed his jawline and found it disconnected. _

"_What have you done?" She repeated the question desperately, choking on her pain as it gripped her from her heart outward. The stupid thing broke in her chest, shattering. Scrambling she began to try to free her son. Her hands shook as she worked for a way to open the cuffs on his thin wrists. _

"_If only you'd given me that power willingly." Hiro told her. "Kin was never going to be king and we both knew it. But, at least now you'll always get to remember him as your little boy."_

_The chains broke under her hands as they clenched closed. She caught the limp, devastated body before it hit the ground and she tucked Kin__'s head under her chin like she did every time she held him to get him to sleep. Her numbness ached and burned in her limbs, shifting into a sharp sting of power she'd never felt before. She was being shattered from the inside, ripped apart to make room for something larger. Her devastation grew, unable to be contained. _

"_It's going to be okay." She promised the young boy in her arms, her lips pressing to his frigid forehead as she cradled him. She channeled her energy into him, pushing as much as she could as fast she could to try and knit his wounds closed. "It's going to be okay, baby. I'm going to fix it. I'm going to save you."_

_Hiro walked over and crouched in front of her. His bloody knuckle touched her cheek and he pulled his hand back with reverie, assessing the tear his captured. For a moment he looked at her with pity and kindness, sighing. _

_His hand went to touch Kin__'s black hair and she snarled at him, clutching her son closer as fury bubbled up with her grief. "Don't touch him!"_

"_It's not like I can hurt him anymore. At least you won't have to suffer long, beloved." He promised with a soft smile. "Less than him, still." _

_Someone moved and it caught her attention just enough to make out a head full of tangled blonde curls and frightened eyes. A woman she didn__'t know. One who smelled of her son's blood and her husband's touch. Seething, she trembled with her arms tightening around her little boy. Her son. Her brother. Her last vestige of hope and family and all the redemption she had left in the world. This woman had been here, had watched. Had helped. Had bedded her deceitful husband. _

"_It'll be over soon." Hiro promised again. "Give me the body and die quietly, Amon-Shinpi. You'll see him soon."_

"_It won't." She told him, her bones moving in her skin as her grief twisted them. Her teeth bared and her gaze centered only on Hiro. "My suffering will be eternal, but yours? Yours will end far too quickly for justice. I will have to settle for revenge."_

_He laughed, standing up and the smell of ozone filled the room as bright light flashed around his body and arms. _

"_You're in no position to fight me."_

"_I don't want to fight. I want to kill you." She bent forward as it all hit her. The pain. The anguish. The fury. Her scream got swallowed by the sound of shattering glass as the windows blew in on them. The wall was pried loose brick by brick as the wind clawed it's way in to the room. Kin's weight fell away as her arms lost meaning. One last time she threw her head back and screamed, her body exploding in searing agony, the cry morphing into a bitter howl that shook the clouds, destroyed her mind. _

Shinpi shot up to sitting, her scream shattering through the comfortable silence of the snowy night. She sobbed into the sound, eyes pinched closed as she threw her energy out around her, determined to keep herself and her son safe. Clutching him to her chest. She wouldn't let him go. Not again. Never again.

"Hichi!"

"Don't touch us!" She didn't care about placing the voice shouting her name. "Don't touch us!"

Her grip on Kin grew tighter, her chest heaving with grief as she screamed again, full of rage and pain. Another burst of energy flew out of her, less of a will than an instinctual reaction to keep the predators at bay. Arms wrapped around her from the behind as hands took hold of her face. She thrashed, snarling, trying her best to free herself.

"You're awake. You're awake." Hiei held her face firmly, forcing her to look at him. There were cuts on his cheeks, his crimson eyes wide and searching as they bore into hers. "I've got you. We've got you. Breathe."

"Hiei?" She trembled in his hold and only then attempted to turn her head to see Kurama behind her, his arms tight around hers to pin them down. She recognized the feel of his hands on her skin, long fingers digging into her muscles. Hayato's large hand rested on her shoulder, his wings spread out to surround the three of them. "Kurama. I'm awake."

She looked down at the body in her arms and discovered it was nothing more than a pillow that she gripped desperately. Trembling, a different type of grief struck her, bringing tears to her eyes. She shrugged out of Kurama's hold to brush her hands over the pillow where a face would've been. She brought it closer and sobbed against it.

"Kin." She breathed the name, pouring her love and pain into the syllable. "My sweet boy. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Hiei sighed and looked at Kurama, begging for help without saying a word. He didn't know what to do.

Hayato pulled her small frame against his chest, pressing his cheek to her head and he had tears spilling too. "He's not here."

"I miss him." She cried.

"I do too." He told her sadly.

"I love him so much." Another sob wracked through her. "I miss him, Hai. My bones are full of cold grief. I hate it so much. I can't feel anything else."

Kurama looked to Hiei with alarm and anguish at the palpable pain in the room. Slowly, the redhead moved and put a hand on the raven's arm and pressed his head against the back of Shinpi's neck, extending his other hand to Hiei to draw him. He had to look over when his offer went unanswered.

Hiei remained in place, stricken. His mouth open, his breathing shallow. All three of the men bore cuts, victims of Shinpi's outburst as her sharp winds had tore through the room. Hayato had still been low to the ground, escaping the cold wrath of a mother's pain. Hiei's were the worst, having thrown himself over Kurama at the first sense of Shinpi's energy spiking. It was an instinct he couldn't name. Now he watched as she shook and cried and mourned. This wasn't something he knew how to fix. Slowly, he moved toward them and gently put a hand on the side of her neck. He didn't know how to express the raw emotion he was feeling, but he knew it poured from this tattered woman. An empty coldness that twisted and made him feel ill. It wasn't his grief, and it wasn't all of hers either, but the taste of it was enough to wish he could block it from both of them forever.

"I remembered." She breathed unsteadily, trying to cling to all three of them at once for some proof that she was alive and real and not in hell. "I remembered."

"I wish you hadn't." Hiei muttered.

"Me too." She admitted, torn. "But I got to hold him again. I forgot how big he'd actually grown."

No one knew what to say so no one spoke. She shuddered a breath, then another. Slowly her tears subsided and steadiness barely returned. It was enough to allow her to truly look at them all. Gently, she traced the wound on Hiei's cheek. Without a word she cupped his face and allowed her warm, green energy to flow out into him until the cuts closed. There was no reason to look to know she had injured the others as well, so she healed them just as silently. Only after that did she glance around the room and note the gashes in the walls from her unconscious outburst.

"I'm sorry." She told them all, shaken from so many things. As she opened her mouth to offer another apology a starburst of pain struck her in the skull, forcing her to close her eyes and hold her head, whimpering.

"Shinpi?" Hiei stared at her, beginning to move his hands so he could again take hold of her face. "What's wrong?"

Her only answer was another strangled sound of pain.

"What's wrong? Where are you hurt?" Kurama followed Hiei's lead in fretting, moving from behind her to begin trying to examine her limbs. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"My head." She groaned as another sear of pain rocked through her. "My head feels like someone is ripping it open. I can't see, it hurts."

"No." Hiei's hot word fell as he grabbed her away from the other two and jerked her to his chest, energy pulsing out around him in a crackling wave as he threw a barrier up around just the two of them. Hair on end, Jagan as wide as it would go, he held onto the woman in his arms to avoid accepting his sudden fury. The moment his energy barrier rose Shinpi gasped out as though she hadn't been able to breathe. She went to move and he held her still. "Not yet."

"Hiei?" Kurama held a hand to the barrier with alarm. "What are you doing?"

"She was right." Hiei swallowed, his tone harsh and labored. "She was right. Someone is out there."

Hayato was on his feet immediately rushing toward the doors. The sound of them slamming closed behind him echoed in the otherwise quiet temple. Shinpi sat up slowly, studying Hiei's face. Searching him for answers he didn't have.

"How do you know?" Her voice was so quiet as she trembled in his arms.

"I know a psionic attack when it happens." He informed her roughly.

"A psychic?" Kurama frowned, sitting cross legged on the other side of the Hiei's wall of energy. "You said there was no one out there. Hayato agreed. Even Shinpi didn't find anyone."

"I know." Hiei ground out.

Kurama's mouth softened in understanding before pressing into a harsh line. He glanced over Shinpi's fraught form, wishing he could push her mussed hair away from her sweating temples. She looked awfully pale. He wanted to soothe her but he was at a loss for what he could possibly do. She turned to look at him, met his eyes and he exhaled steadily. Then he moved his attention to irises of scalding crimson. Hayato's scurrying toward the door would be meaningless. He wouldn't find anything. That's what made Hiei so angry. This was a long distance attack. And for a psychic to accomplish such a feat they needed to be remarkably strong and focused. They'd also need to be able to pinpoint their victim with incredible accuracy. Hiei's subtle nod allowed Kurama to reach his conclusion.

This was the work of another Jagan user.

"What do we do?" Kurama asked, focused solely on Hiei because if he looked into Shinpi's scared blue eyes he'd lose himself to rage and he knew it. Even now it threatened to overtake him.

Of all the god awful ways to attack her. Of all the cruel, sadistic feats. To dig through her memories and bring them to surface, drowning her in grief once again, it was heinous.

With anger and conviction, Hiei seethed his answer. "I don't know."

Hayato returned and his stone faced expression made Shinpi sit up further, her brows pulled together. He frowned, wings folding against his skin as they watched.

"It stopped snowing. The storm has cleared completely." He announced to the room. "There's not a cloud in the sky."

* * *

"I hope you know you're fixing this." Genkai deadpanned to Shinpi, dull expression pointed as she kept her hands clasped behind her back. "Honestly girl, you're a mess."

"Of course. I'm sorry." Shinpi nodded, nose wrinkled as she once again drug her attention over the deep tears in the walls. Cold seeped through, saturating the room. "I already started but I ran out of supplies. I'll need to pick up more from town."

It had been three days since the storm had stopped. The news had called it a strange miracle. Cleaning up the aftermath had taken time but the power was back up and the city had come to life once again. That's how Yukina, Kuwabara and Genkai found themselves in the temple's living room with the others. Yukina's hand covered her mouth as she studied the gashes in the walls. Kuwabara frowned in concern too.

"What happened?" He asked her.

"I had a bad dream. A nightmare." She sighed, shaking her head. "My reaction was wild, I was asleep."

Kuwabara's eyebrow raised and then he rolled his eyes and turned to Hiei after the shorter man scoffed. "What really happened?"

"Her nightmare was the memory of finding her son murdered." Hiei answered with arms crossed. "She's underplaying it."

"Hiei." Kurama warned quietly, teacup held in his hand as he sat on the couch. "She asked you to let her handle this."

"And I agreed to let her tell the truth, not some half-assed version of it." Hiei reminded him with a glance. "You'd prefer she lie?"

"I don't want to worry everyone." Shinpi explained carefully. "There's no need to stress everyone out, Hiei."

Kurama sipped his tea. "Those words scream of a woman who is not willing to ask for help."

"Ha." Hiei smirked, victorious.

"What do they mean, Hichi?" Yukina pried gently. "Why would we be worried? What is it that you need our help with?"

Crimson eyes met crimson eyes and Hiei nodded his thanks to his sister for her delicate demand for information. If anyone could force Shinpi to talk then it was definitely Yukina. Shinpi seemed to realize this too because her shoulders sagged in defeat.

"We believe that I'm being watched by another Jagan user who may or may not be working with someone who might want me dead. There's no definites yet though." Shinpi exhaled heavily.

"Oh no, she was _definitely_ attacked by a powerful psychic and I am _definitely_ sure it was another Jagan user." Hiei amended for her firmly. "The other details are a theory at this point."

"Holy shit." Kuwabara balked. "Seriously? Why? Who?"

"Answers I do not have." Shinpi explained.

"These sudden raging winter storms might be connected." Hayato declared from his post in front of the fire. "There could be an elemental involved who is being used to separate Hichi from the rest of you. Another theory with no substantial proof but I'm willing to believe it. It's best to err on the side of caution in these matters."

"I feel as though I've had another leash wrapped around my throat and it is being held tightly by the men I trust most." Shinpi frowned at them all.

"If that's what it takes to keep you safe then I'm sure you'll get used to the sensation." Kurama responded lightly. "We promise not to tug too hard."

Her lips pursed before Yukina lightly touched her arm.

"They're right to worry, Hichi. If these theories are true then you could be in real danger. As someone who has been kidnapped and tortured, I would greatly prefer it not happen to you." Yukina's eyes water. "Please, listen to them. You've already been through so much pain. None of us could bear to see you go through more if simple precautions could prevent it. Please don't let your stubbornness bring you to harm."

"And if these theories are wrong then all of you will have expended considerable, unnecessary amounts of energy worrying over nothing." Shinpi pointed out.

"Stop arguing." Genkai snapped at her. "They're all right and you know it. Now, I know you have a plan for this eventuality. You always do. Tell them what it is so everyone can move on with their lives."

"She needs to be watched more." Hiei demanded. "She spends too much time alone."

"Impossible, I told you. Everyone has stuff to do darling. Kazuma has his school work and internship. Kurama, Keiko and Yusuke all have jobs and family to attend to. Hayato is needed out there gathering more information, which now may be more critical than ever. He's my best chance for learning the source of this intrigue. You are needed in Alaric. Genkai runs the temple. There's little anyone can do other than check in from time to time. Which I will do as well. I can call every night if that's best. I can make weekly appointments with Koenma to check in."

"I will do it." Yukina nodded to the room, standing tall.

"Sorry?" Shinpi stared at her. "Do what?"

"I'll watch over you. I have little to do here other than chores. I can move in with you until this mess is handled. It would mean someone would be with you most of the time and if you were to go missing I would be able to report it quickly. Plus, I am not as defenseless as you all believe. I can at least keep you safe a short while if necessary."

"She is strong." Kuwabara beamed. "I mean, even Touya has learned a thing or two from her."

"I did not survive so long in Tarukane's keep by sheer luck. There is a reason they had to bring in those awful Toguro brothers in an attempt to break me." She continued. "I can do this. It will put everyone at ease and if it turns out to be nothing then we're none the worse off. I'll pack immediately and we'll go back together."

"I didn't agree." Shinpi blinked.

"I do not need your permission to protect you, neither do I require your compliance. A key would be nice but I will give you time to make one." Yukina stared back, chin raised and stance firm, arms crossed over her chest.

Shinpi glanced from the ice maiden to Hiei, and sighed. Siblings. They were both posed the same way with the same stubborn energy roiling off them. Hiei caught her brief gaze, flicked his own to Yukina, then seemed to immediately spiral inwardly as though he were calculating difficult math mentally. That earned a smile from the wolf demoness. Did Hiei not know that she knew?

Did he think her a fool?

She smiled and turned to the woman standing before her. "As you'd have it, Yukina. You know I can barely deny you when you're in far less of a self-assured mood."


End file.
